[Taxacom] ninjabaerus
Francisco Welter-Schultes
fwelter at gwdg.de
Sat Jan 23 11:42:56 CST 2021
2021
I appreciate this debate, it may help in the Code-5 preparation.
Sometimes in zoological nomenclature we work with intentions of authors.
If the intention of the authors is to name a species that they believe
really to exist, we would probably treat such a name differently as in
the case of an author who does apparently not believe the animal to
exist and publishes name and description in the intention to test the
limits.
Bicingulatus ninjabearus did exist in the mind of the author, but was it
hypothetical?
I would not doubt that the photographed animals were real specimens, but
the expressed intention demonstrated that he did not really believe the
animal for which he intended the description to exist.
We separate this from a situation in which a friend sent those photos to
the author, reporting that the specimens were deposited in a collection,
the author believed that and published exactly the same description.
The taxonomic concept did contain an animal then known to exist in
nature (a koala bear). If the holotype is a specimen composed of a set
of components, Art. 73.1.5 applies. The teeth could be removed by a
revising author and the existing koala bear would remain.
Same situation as in Crocodylus niloticus Laurenti, 1768: the author
believed the nile crocodile did exist, never saw one, trusted a
previously published figure which later turned out to be a phantasy
crocodile based on two real species deposited in a collection. The
description of course did not refer to a nile crocodile, the nile
crocodile was not really "known" in the scientific sense to exist in
nature, the authors in this epoch just trusted stories.
However I think in this case Laurenti's intention counts, he did believe
the nile crocodile existed, and based the descrption on a name-bearing
type. So the name refers to one of the two species that later turned out
to represent the holotype, given that Art. 73.1.5 was applied, the name
is available.
When the application of Art. 1.3.1 is judged, the content of the
description can problably not be considered. My feeling is that the
intention of the author must be taken into account.
We could eventually give the Laurenti 1768 example to illustrate how
Art. 1.3.1 is to be applied.
Zoologists need to get this clear because it is relevant for purposes of
homonymy. Nessiteras is preoccupied, also Crocodylus, Bicingulatus
probably not.
Cheers
Francisco
Am 23.01.2021 um 16:39 schrieb Thomas Pape via Taxacom:
> I am happy to align with Rich.
>
> In the original description of Nessiteras rhombopteryx, Nature provided a short abstract, which shows that the journal [topic editor?] saw the paper as the authors' intent of naming "a species whose existence is still a matter of controversy".
>
> The only evidence in the paper itself is the statement that:
> "their existence [i.e., the animals] seems closer to being established".
>
> The zoo-Code applies only to taxa containing at least one "animal then known to exist in nature, past or present", and the authors of Nessiteras rhombopteryx admittedly appear to have had no doubts about the reality of "the large animal species living in Loch Ness". And if just one of the syntypes represented by the many sightings and photographs is of a fish or a seal (https://www.icrwhale.org/pdf/SC039151-157.pdf), then this requirement would probably be fulfilled.
>
> No matter how precise the zoo-Code is worded, we cannot avoid the shades of probability nor can we avoid the penumbra of not knowing exactly what is or was on any author's mind.
>
> /Thomas
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Richard Pyle <deepreef at bishopmuseum.org>
> Sent: 23. januar 2021 09:31
> To: 'Taxacom' <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
> Cc: Thomas Pape <tpape at snm.ku.dk>
> Subject: RE: [Taxacom] ninjabaerus
>
> I'm going to do something I very (very) rarely do: disagree with Thomas:
>
>> This is why scientific names proposed for 'Nessie', 'Bigfoot', and
>> other fictional creatures are not available.
>
> As far as I can discern, the scientific names for both "Nessie" (Nessiteras rhombopteryx Scott & Rines 1975) and "Bigfoot" (Homo sapiens cognatus Ketchum 2013) are available under the Code. I am well aware of arguments (e.g., Notton et al. 2011) that the former is unavailable under Art. 1.3.1; but I think a careful reading of both Art. 1.3 and the original description (https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2F258466a0.pdf&data=04%7C01%7Ctpape%40snm.ku.dk%7C2d3c4ccb51e34bb86be408d8bf794152%7Ca3927f91cda14696af898c9f1ceffa91%7C0%7C0%7C637469875272089367%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=YF5WYCM4WUNnxFIDKVHxjYoob2mlU12euI3BYE9mgHo%3D&reserved=0) make it clear that Art. 1.3.1 does not apply. Note that Art. 1.3.1, in full (including the text of Art. 1.3), reads: "[Excluded from the provisions of the Code are names *proposed*] for hypothetical concepts;" I emphasized the verb "proposed" because it references the context in which a name is established. There is no indication that Scott and Rines *proposed* a name for a hypothetical concept -- there is every indication within the original publication that they proposed the name for what they asserted to be a very real organism (complete with photos purported to depict the type specimen). It is often pointed out that the name itself is an anagram for "Monster hoax by Sir Peter S". But this no more represents evidence that the authors intentionally proposed an name for a hypothetical concept than the fact that the name is also an anagram for "Yes, both pix are monsters – R" represents evidence that they believed it to be a genuine organism. Nothing in the original description suggests that it was proposed for a hypothetical concept.
>
> It is likewise clear from the original description of H. s. cognatus that the authors very-much considered the taxon to be real (not hypothetical): https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fheavy.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F10%2Fnovel-north-american-hominins-final-pdf-download.pdf&data=04%7C01%7Ctpape%40snm.ku.dk%7C2d3c4ccb51e34bb86be408d8bf794152%7Ca3927f91cda14696af898c9f1ceffa91%7C0%7C0%7C637469875272089367%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=M3jY%2BQLgSPmzGAlQaAskYSo8J0r5pzelMS6x76lFqZg%3D&reserved=0
>
> The point is, I think the verb "proposed" in the context of Art. 1.3 (and, by extension, Art. 1.3.1) clearly implies that the description itself must assert that the name is intended for a taxon that is not based on actual specimens (or, what are believed to be actual specimens), but rather a hypothetical concept (e.g. the hypothetical common ancestor of two extant taxa, absent any fossil evidence for such). If it were interpreted otherwise, then *any* name for which an extant type is not available could be argued to be "hypothetical" after the publication of the description, and declared unavailable (anagrams or not).
>
> I haven't read the original description for Bicingulatus ninjabearus, but I gather it is evident from the paper itself that the taxon is hypothetical (e.g., "Therefore, this paper seeks to test the limits on the application of phototypes." -- evidently a misguided attempt to malign the need for the Code to accommodate non-extant type specimens). Thus, in this case, I think a strong case could be made that Art. 1.3.1 does apply to this name, if it was indeed proposed by the authors to apply to a hypothetical concept.
>
> As for this:
>> the circumscription of a species can be seen as a scientific
>> hypothesis
>
> I fully agree with Thomas that it *can* be seen this way. And in very rare cases it may actually be framed this way. But in the vast, vast majority of cases, new species are proposed as *defined* entities, not *hypothesized* entities. Hypotheses are falsifiable; definitions are not.
>
> [Drops mic, sneaks out back door...]
>
> Aloha,
> Rich
>
> Richard L. Pyle, PhD
> Senior Curator of Ichthyology | Director of XCoRE Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum
> 1525 Bernice Street, Honolulu, HI 96817-2704
> Office: (808) 848-4115; Fax: (808) 847-8252
> eMail: deepreef at bishopmuseum.org
> BishopMuseum.org
> Our Mission: Bishop Museum inspires our community and visitors through the exploration and celebration of the extraordinary history, culture, and environment of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Taxacom <taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu> On Behalf Of Thomas
>> Pape via Taxacom
>> Sent: Friday, January 22, 2021 2:34 PM
>> To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
>> Subject: Re: [Taxacom] ninjabaerus
>>
>> Igor:
>> You are correct that science can be seen as a hypothetico-deductive
>> method and the circumscription of a species can be seen as a scientific hypothesis.
>> However, the zoo-Code has this definition in the Glossary:
>>
>> ----------------------------------
>> concept, hypothetical, n.
>> A taxonomic concept that when published contained no animal then known
>> to exist in nature, past or present, but only in the mind of the
>> author whether a prediction or not.
>> ----------------------------------
>>
>> This is why scientific names proposed for 'Nessie', 'Bigfoot', and
>> other fictional creatures are not available.
>>
>> /Thomas
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Taxacom <taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu> On Behalf Of igor
>> pavlinov via Taxacom
>> Sent: 22. januar 2021 21:02
>> To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
>> Subject: [Taxacom] ninjabaerus
>>
>>
>> Thanks to all who responded so swiftly. I haven’t known anything about
>> ninjabaerus.
>>
>> However, the paper in question is of a certain importance to me
>> because it provides a rare example of an explicit use of the term
>> «phototype» (not in the sense of lichenologists). So I’ll probably
>> have to cite it, all the same, as well as an another example of «joke
>> nomenclature» (along with famous Rhinogradentia).
>>
>> As to the reference to the Art. 1.3.1, the latter is curious by
>> itself. The matter is that any schientific knowledge is hypothetical,
>> so description of a new taxon is always a kind of taxonomic hypothesis
>> to be tested by new data. So, from a «philosopical» (Popperian)
>> perspective, the main thesis of this Article is incosistent and needs reformulation in more correct terms.
>>
>> My bests,
>>
>> Igor
>> - - -
>> Igor Ya. Pavlinov, DrS
>> Zoological Museum of Lomonosov Moscow State University ul. Bol'shaya
>> Nikitskaya 6
>> 125009 Moscow
>> Russia
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