[Taxacom] Cross-rank homonyms (in zoology)

[Douglas Yanega]

On 1/28/21 12:49 PM, Tony Rees via Taxacom wrote:
> Greetings Taxacomers,
>
> A question has arisen on Wikispecies about the validity of a cross-rank
> homonym in zoology, namely subtribe Antimerina Brunke, Żyła & Solodovnikov,
> 2019 (Staphylinidae, Coleoptera, Animalia), junior homonym of the
> genus Antimerina Alluaud, 1898 (Carabidae, Coleoptera, Animalia), Ann. Soc.
> Ent. France, 66, 17, a name in current use.
>
> My reading of the relevant portion of the Code ("Article 52. Principle of
> Homonymy: 52.1. Statement of the Principle of Homonymy: When two or more
> taxa are distinguished from each other they must not be denoted by the same
> name.") is that it does not constrain potential homonymous names to be of
> the same rank, or group i.e. species-group, genus-group, family-group) and
> that therefore the name for the subtribe is invalid. Would this concur with
> the opinions of those more expert than myself?
>
> This topic did occur on Taxacom a while back (2002) where the few persons
> who commented seemed to come to the opposite conclusion (
> http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/pipermail/taxacom/2002-March/087701.html), but I
> would contend that the statements therein are not in accordance with the
> Code. Further discussion / opinions invited...

Article 51 is not considered to require any such explicit statement, 
given that Article 53 gives completely separate and independent 
definitions of homonymy at the family rank, genus rank, and species 
rank; these distinctions are further reinforced in Articles 55-57, which 
also treat the ranks separately. The purpose of Article 51 is to 
establish that precise subset of rules applying non-differentially, to 
*all three ranks*. The subsequent Articles give, piece by piece, the 
subset of rules which *are* different between the different ranks. It 
helps to read Chapter 12 as a whole, and also to look carefully at the 
Glossary; the Glossary gives three separate definitions of homonymy, one 
definition for each rank.

Peace,

-- 
Doug Yanega      Dept. of Entomology       Entomology Research Museum
Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0314     skype: dyanega
phone: (951) 827-4315 (disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's)
              https://faculty.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.html
   "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
         is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82