Message 2001-06-0059: RE: [conflict between monophyletic taxonomy and rank-based classification]

Fri, 04 May 2001 08:44:07 -0400

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Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 08:44:07 -0400
From: "Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>
To: kinman@usa.net, phylocode@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu
Subject: RE: [conflict between monophyletic taxonomy and rank-based classification]

Ken Kinman writes:

> From: kinman@usa.net [mailto:kinman@usa.net]
>
>      In many cases, the well-defined clade is not only well-defined but
> distinctive enough that it has often been raised to a higher
> rank.  One such
> an embedded clade is Aves which was so distinctive that even
> primitive peoples
> paraphyletically removed it from Reptilia.  Not consciously of course, but
> this is how the human brain normally classifies, at least when it
> hasn't been
> conditioned to believe that paraphyly is something unnatural.

Not quite an accurate read of folk taxonomy.  While it is true that most
cultures recognize a category "bird" (which often includes bats), I can't
think of a folk taxonomy that recognizes a "Reptilia" sensu Romer and
company (i.e., a group comprising turtles, lepidosaurs, crocs, and nothing
else in the living world).  These critters tend to be lumped in the general
quadruped catagory, and are not brigaded off in a particular section
exclusive of mammals.

Indeed, Linnaeus himself had some rather peculiar combiantions of taxa in
his Amphibia (Reptilia)...

		Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
		Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology		Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland		College Park Scholars
		College Park, MD  20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/tholtz.htm
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:	301-405-4084	Email:	tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661	Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796


  

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