[Taxacom] Validity of species/subspecies

[Javier Luque]

Dear Stephen, Cristian, Ayhan, Jim, and Taxacomers,

Many thanks for your responses.  The organisms in question are fiddler
crabs. The fossil taxon is *Uca maracoani antiqua* Brito, 1972.  In 2001,
Martins-Neto proposed that the fossil species was different enough from the
extant *U. maracoani,* and called it *Uca inaciobritoi*.  Nevertheless,
several authors in recent years have referred to the fossil taxon as *U.
antiqua*, but have referred to *U. inaciobritoi* as a different species,
and unnoticed that both are based on the same type specimens.  For this
reason I wondered if *U. inaciobritoi* would be valid, or if it would
rather be a junior synonym of *U. antiqua*.

Kind regards,
Javier




On Thu, Apr 10, 2014 at 1:09 AM, Stephen Thorpe
<stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>wrote:

> It would be safest to see the actual example. There could be complicating
> factors (e.g. if zz is a junior homonym, unnoticed until upgraded to
> species)
> Cheers,
> Stephen
>
> --------------------------------------------
> On Thu, 10/4/14, Javier Luque <javierluquec at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>  Subject: [Taxacom] Validity of species/subspecies
>  To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
>  Received: Thursday, 10 April, 2014, 6:20 AM
>
>  Dear Taxacomers,
>
>  A quick question. Imagine two subspecies: the extant *Xx xx
>  xx, *and the
>  fossil *Xx xx yy*.  Someone proposed that the fossil
>  subspecies was
>  different enough from species *Xx xx* to deserve full
>  specific status, and
>  therefore named it *Xx zz**.  *Note that, instead of
>  elevating subspecies *Xx
>  xx yy* to the species rank (i.e. *Xx yy*), the author gave
>  it a new
>  specific epithet (i.e. *Xx zz*).  Here is the question:
>  is *Xx zz *a valid
>  species?  Or should the subspecies *yy* have priority
>  as the specific
>  epithet?
>
>  Thanks for your time and help.
>
>  Kind regards,
>  Javier
>
>  --
>  Javier Luque, Ph.D Student
>  Systematics and Evolution Group
>  Department of Biological Sciences
>  University of Alberta
>  Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
>
>  Center for Tropical Paleoecology and Archaeology
>  Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
>  Balboa-Anc?n, Panama
>  Apartado 0843-03092
>
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