Taxacom: nomen nudum and synonymy question

[Douglas Yanega]

On 1/26/23 7:51 PM, John Grehan via Taxacom wrote:
> Dear colleagues,
>
>    Krulikowsky 1908 (ref below)  listed under the species name Hepialus
> hectus, a subspecific name as ''ab. [aberration] male decorata Krul. K. 1
> Ex'
>
> Nielsen et al (2000) in their world catalog of Hepialidae, listed decorata
> under Phymatopus hecta as a junior synonym, but also as a nomen nudum.
> Would I be correct to understand that if the name 'decorata' is a nomen
> nudum (having no description or illustration), then it cannot be listed as
> a synonym since there is no way to know if it were really a form of
> Phymatopus hecta or even of any other Hepialidae? (and that's assuming the
> individual were competent at least to recognize whether a moth was a
> hepialid or not.

While names without descriptions are nomina nuda, not all nomina nuda 
are names without descriptions.

The Code defines a nomen nudum as follows:

A Latin term referring to a name that, if published before 1931, fails 
to conform toArticle 12 
<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcode.iczn.org%2Fchapter-4-criteria-of-availability%2Farticle-12-names-published-before-1931%2F&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C0d53880806454245c53a08db007f4ccf%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638104318986940593%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=MWuXjhJyVX96kq5LGMKeOpxEbhDIuC2YzCHrS3Cjcrc%3D&reserved=0>; 
or, if published after 1930, fails to conform toArticle 13 
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There are *many* ways a name can fail to conform to these Articles.

I will note, however, that ALL names published as "ab." (aberration) or 
"m." (morph) are *permanently unavailable* under a different Article of 
the Code, namely Art. 45.6.2:

45.6.2. it is deemed to be infrasubspecific if its author used one of 
the terms "aberration", "ab." or "morph";

All infrasubspecific names are unavailable, at least from their original 
publication:

45.5.*Infrasubspecific names*

A name expressly proposed to denote an infrasubspecific entity (see 
Glossary) is not an available name unless the provisions ofArticle 45.6 
<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcode.iczn.org%2Fspecies-group-nominal-taxa-and-their-names%2Farticle-45-the-species-group%2F%23art-45-6&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C0d53880806454245c53a08db007f4ccf%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638104318986940593%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=hqLUHTFFZDjhoE7%2FbRLDwHpMJDWGxsoHz%2FOBFpaZd%2BE%3D&reserved=0>specify 
otherwise; it is excluded from the species group and is not regulated by 
the Code [Art. 1.3.4 
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An infrasubspecific name does not intrinsically violate either Article 
12 or 13, so it is possible that Nielsen incorrectly called the name a 
nomen nudum, and should instead have said only that it was unavailable.

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)
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