Message 2004-10-0128: Plant clade names was PROPOSED ARTICLE X - autonyms

Sat, 18 Sep 2004 20:01:03 -0400

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Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2004 20:01:03 -0400
From: [unknown]
To: Mailing List - PhyloCode <phylocode@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu>
Subject: Plant clade names was PROPOSED ARTICLE X - autonyms

Michael Keesey wrote:

"This isn't my domain, as such, but couldn't the typified names, name=
d after
genera, be crowns, while the untypified names, which seem to all be n=
amed
after characters, be apomorphy-based?"

This was similar to my thought a crown clade should be named based on
membership and that under the ICBN we have a whole set of names typif=
ied by
membership. Thus, this would help with the continuity from what was.

Phil Cantino wrote:

"Magnoliophyta could be defined as applying to the panstem, but this =
would
likely confuse people because Magnoliophyta and Angiospermae are wide=
ly
understood by botanists to be alternative names for the same clade.  =
The
same applies to other pairs of typified versus untypified names (e.g.=
,
Equisetophyta and Sphenophyta, Pinophyta and Coniferophyta, Lamiaceae=
 and
Labiatae)."

As I see it, if the adoption of the Phylocode is to happen, a whole s=
et of
educational activities will have to take place. To say that typified =
names
apply to crown clades and that other names apply to something differe=
nt (a
different perspective)would help solve the problem that plant people =
are
split in the current usage of the existing synonyms for the larger
groupings/clades. I.e. they would cease to be total synonyms.

The reason why Labiatae, Compositae, Cruciferae and Gramineae are sti=
ll used
is because of the degree of past usage and not because they are "bett=
er"
names than their typified equivalents. That a similar same problem ap=
plies
to calling the flowering plants angiosperms and Angiospermae as more =
to do
with the conservative style of most first year university texts in
Biology/Botany.

Louis Chinnery




  

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