[Taxacom] Paper on La Cepède herpetological nomina

[Alain Dubois]

Dear Colleagues,

The monograph below was just published in Bionomina.

It can be downloaded for private use from ResearchGate or obtained from any
of the four authors

Best wishes,

Alain



Alain DUBOIS, Thierry FRÉTEY, Olivier LORVELEC & Annemarie OHLER.
The nomenclatural status of the amphibian and reptile nomina introduced by
La Cepède in his Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupèdes Ovipares et des
Serpens, with comments on various questions of zoological nomenclature.
*Bionomina*, 2021 [25 October], *23*: 1-180.

Abstract

The ‘suppression’ (invalidation) for nomenclatural purposes by the
International Commission
on Zoological Nomenclature of the work Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupèdes
Ovipares et des
Serpens first published by La Cepède from 1788 to 1790 brought no benefit
of any kind to
zoological taxonomy and nomenclature but generated several nomenclatural
problems. Here
we review the history of the many discussions and proposals, as well as the
successive and
contradictory decisions of the Commission, regarding this work and the new
nomina it
contains, and we make new proposals to solve some of the problems created
by these decisions. We suggest the Commission should take the initiative to
restore nomenclatural availability to 18 nomina of La Cepède invalidated or
of unclear status following its previous actions. More generally, we think
that the use of the Plenary Power by the Commission should be more strictly
regulated and made less easy and straightforward, and that the whole
invalidation of complete works that have been considered as nomenclaturally
available for a very long time in many works (e.g., 100 works in the 100
immediately preceding years) should be forbidden, and that the Commission
should rather concentrate its attention and action on nomina rather than on
works. Besides, we show that the snake nomen   Donndorff, 1798, currently
considered valid, is invalid, and should be replaced by the nomen
Coluber capitetriangulatus Bonnaterre, 1790.


____________________________________

Professeur Émérite Alain Dubois
Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle
Institut Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB) - UMR 7205
Reptiles & Amphibiens
CP 30
25 rue Cuvier
75005 Paris
France

Adresses e-mail: <sapo421 at gmail.com>, <adbionomina at gmail.com>, <
adpeerj at gmail.com>, <adubois at mnhn.fr>

Blogs personnels:
Sur Overblog: <lherbu.com>
Sur Mediapart: <https://blogs.mediapart.fr/alaindubois-0/blog>

President, Linz Zoocode Committee
<zoologos22 at gmail.com>

Chief Editor, Bionomina
<http://www.mapress.com/bionomina>

Nomenclature Editor, Zootaxa
<http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/>

Academic Editor, PeerJ
<https://peerj.com>

Website of the journal Alytes
<https://www.alytes-journal.org>

Website of the journal Dumerilia
<http://dumerilia.wifeo.com>
____________________________________

“La culture ce n’est pas avoir le cerveau farci de dates, de noms ou de
chiffres, c’est la qualité du jugement, l’exigence logique, l’appétit de la
preuve, la notion de la complexité des choses et de l’arduité des
problèmes. C’est l’habitude du doute, le discernement dans la méfiance, la
modestie d’opinion, la patience d’ignorer, la certitude qu’on n’a jamais
tout le vrai en partage; c’est avoir l’esprit ferme sans l’avoir rigide,
c’est être armé contre le flou et aussi contre la fausse précision, c’est
refuser tous les fanatismes et jusqu’à ceux qui s’autorisent de la raison;
c’est suspecter les dogmatismes officiels mais sans profit pour les
charlatans, c’est révérer le génie mais sans en faire une idole, c’est
toujours préférer ce qui est à ce qu’on préférerait qui fût.”
(Jean Rostand, Le droit d’être naturaliste, 1963).
____________________________________