Message 2001-02-0008: Wagner's proposals

Mon, 05 Feb 2001 18:48:50 -0500

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Date: Mon, 05 Feb 2001 18:48:50 -0500
From: Kevin de Queiroz <Dequeiroz.Kevin@NMNH.SI.EDU>
To: PhyloCode@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu
Subject: Wagner's proposals

I was very interested to read Jonathann Wagner's recent proposals--those =
about apomorphy-based clades and definitions in particular.  I was =
interested because I have been developing basically the same ideas for the =
nomenclature of vertebrates that will form one of the "companion volumes" =
to the PhyloCode.  In addition, Jacques and I are including some of these =
ideas in a paper on the names several nested clades that include birds (in =
which we deal with these issues regarding some of the very names mentioned =
by David Marjanovic in his posting).  Specifically, I had been using what =
Jonathan proposed as recommendations 11.8C and D; I can't claim to have =
given any thought to his 11.8E.  In any case, I also had not considered =
suggesting these ideas as recommendations for the PhyloCode, because I was =
thinking of them as conventions that might or might not be adopted =
independent of adoption of the PhyloCode.  Now that Jonathan has raised =
the possibility of including them as recommendations, I think this idea =
ought to be considered seriously, though I have not yet decided what I =
think.  They certainly should not be rules, but it's at least worth =
consiidering including them as recommendations.  Despite my agreement with =
Dave Hillis on many issues relating to the PhyloCode, I don't share his =
dislike of apomorphy-based definitions.  This is not to say that I =
disagree with the problems he raises.  Nevertheless, despite these =
problems, sometimes an apomorphy-based definition is the appropriate =
definition for the clade concept being named.

Kevin

Kevin de Queiroz
Division of Amphibians & Reptiles
National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC  20560-0162
Phone:  (202) 357-2212
FAX:  (202) 786-2979
e-mail:  dequeirk@nmnh.si.edu

  

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