[Taxacom] Costelytra zealandica - Epic fail!

[Stephen Thorpe]

Just a quick update on the Costelytra fiasco. As I suspected, it seems to be based on an epic failure in peer review. In fact, it was sent to 4 anonymous reviewers, instead of the usual 2, but still not one of them grasped the issues sufficiently clearly to suggest maintaining prevailing usage as a much better option to radically renaming one of NZ's most significant and well known insects! Apparently, the editor had "great difficulty" finding suitable reviewers. I was overlooked as a reviewer, as per usual, since I'm outside the close-knit ingroup who control NZ entomology. Oh well ...

Stephen

--------------------------------------------
On Sun, 16/10/16, Geoff Read <gread at actrix.gen.nz> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Costelytra zealandica - Epic fail!
 To: Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
 Received: Sunday, 16 October, 2016, 10:56 AM
 
 
 Interesting that the authors say "it has not been possible
 to associate
 either of the two species represented by the syntypes with
 known species
 of Costelytra".  So there is not a useful 
 "Establishment of the identity
 ..." of the title.
 
 This is odd biologically - if I understand correctly
 apparently the C.
 zealandica of the syntype is not now known to exist (nothing
 corresponding
 to a common Wellington (= Port Nicholson) insect of 1846 has
 been found
 since anywhere in the country?). Is this likely, even given
 the extensive
 native habitat reduction over the years?
 
 If there was a mixup between the species known now I could
 see some need
 for reconciling application of names.
 
 Geoff
 
 ________________________________________
 From: Taxacom <taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
 on behalf of Stephen
 Thorpe <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>
 Sent: 15 October 2016 14:41
 To: Doug Yanega; John Grehan
 Cc: taxacom
 Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Costelytra zealandica - Epic fail!
 
 Just to ensure that we are all on the same page on this:
 what the authors
 have done is to dredge up the old (1846) type material for
 what is now
 known universally as Costelytra zealandica (perhaps the most
 published
 species name in all of N.Z. entomology!) and find that
 neither of the two
 syntypes (there could be others) that they examined actually
 are that
 species (i.e. the species  known universally as
 Costelytra zealandica). So
 they have designated one of those syntypes as lectotype
 (thereby making
 the name Costelytra zealandica definitely misidentified),
 and renamed the
 infamous pest species as a new species Costelytra giveni.
 There is no
 suggestion that they have even considered conservation of
 prevailing usage
 as an option! Big sigh! Just to rub salt in the wound, the
 ZooBank
 preregistration for the article just consists of an AUTHOR
 record filled
 in as if it were a taxon record!
 
 So, overall, it is one small step for the authors, and one
 giant leap
 backwards for mankind!
 
 Stephen
 
 --------------------------------------------
 On Sat, 15/10/16, John Grehan <calabar.john at gmail.com>
 wrote:
 
  Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Costelytra zealandica - Epic fail!
  To: "Doug Yanega" <dyanega at ucr.edu>
  Cc: "taxacom" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
  Received: Saturday, 15 October, 2016, 2:17 PM
 
  http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00779962.2016.1230254
 
 --
 Geoffrey B. Read, Ph.D.
 Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
 gread at actrix.gen.nz
 
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