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Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2001 17:03:49 -0600 (CST)
From: "Jonathan R. Wagner" <znc14@TTACS.TTU.EDU>
To: PhyloCode@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu
Cc: J.Mark.Porter@cgu.edu (J. Mark Porter)
Subject: Re: Addendum 4: Conversion of generic epithets
At 02:35 PM 2/7/01 -0800, J. Mark Porter wrote:
> Although the rule may have some advantages (e.g., at least
>initially there would be no problems with homonyms), this proposed rule
>could lead to great resistance to the PhyloCode. All clades that
>correspond (possess the same species membership) to current genera, would
>be forced to be given new names,
I'm a little unclear here. This rule does not instruct you not to
name taxa which have the same content as genera (remember, content does not
equal definition). It says "do not convert GENUS names." No Tyrannosaurus =
(T. rex + T. bataar), no Homo = (H. sapiens > P. robustus or A. afarensis),
etc. etc. Use genus names informally, just as many workers have been doing,
until we decide (as a group) which way to go. Call me Homo sapiens, but just
don't explain why I am Homo sapiens and Bonzo is not Homo troglodytus.
When PhyloCode II (the electric bugaloo?) or whatever allows for the
phylogenetic definition of species names, it will either recind this ban,
allowing you to go back and define all of the genera you have been using
informally (as above), or leave it in place (as in the case of the proposals
in Cantino et al. which do not allow the use of genus names as clade names,
e.g., Homo.sapeins, or Homo-sapiens_1138 or whatever).
Have I missed your point entirely?
:)
Jonathan R. Wagner
P.S. Dr. Porter, sorry for the resend, I forgot to send this to the list!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan R. Wagner, Dept. of Geosciences, TTU, Lubbock, TX 79409-1053
"Why do I sense we've picked up another pathetic lifeform?" - Obi-Wan Kenobi