Describing species: practical taxonomic procedure for biologists

Contents......Page 8
List of Illustrations......Page 14
List of Tables......Page 18
Preface......Page 20
Part One: Introduction......Page 24
Describing the Living World......Page 26
Why Is Species Description Necessary?......Page 27
How New Species Are Described......Page 31
Scope and Organization of This Book......Page 35
The Pleasures of Systematics......Page 37
Sources......Page 38
Humans as Taxonomists......Page 42
Biological Nomenclature......Page 44
Folk Taxonomy......Page 46
Binomial Nomenclature......Page 48
Development of Codes of Nomenclature......Page 49
The Current Codes of Nomenclature......Page 53
Future of the Codes......Page 59
Sources......Page 62
Part Two: Recognizing Species......Page 64
CHAPTER 3. SPECIES AND THEIR DISCOVERY......Page 66
Species Concepts......Page 67
Processes Affecting Speciation......Page 69
Taxonomic Characters......Page 76
Examples of Ways in Which Biologists Have Discovered New Species......Page 78
Sources......Page 88
Mistakes and Bad Examples......Page 94
Establishing Identity......Page 96
Where to Find the Taxonomic Literature......Page 98
Species Descriptions......Page 106
Taxonomic Literature Searching on the Internet......Page 110
Sources......Page 111
CHAPTER 5. ESTABLISHING IDENTITY: USING MUSEUM COLLECTIONS......Page 118
Collections, Museums, and Herbaria......Page 119
Locating Material......Page 120
Borrowing Material......Page 125
Type Material......Page 126
Visiting Collections: What to Expect and How to Behave......Page 128
Cooperation with Systematists......Page 129
Sources......Page 130
Part Three: Writing Species Descriptions......Page 136
Reasons for Writing Species Descriptions......Page 138
Different Kinds of Taxonomic Publications......Page 139
Form of the Descriptive Paper......Page 148
Description Headings......Page 152
Synonyms......Page 157
Synonymies......Page 158
New Species......Page 159
Types of Synonymies......Page 160
Different Kinds of Synonymies......Page 163
References in Headings and Synonymies......Page 167
Naming Species......Page 170
Brief Review of Latin and Greek......Page 172
Basic Rules of Species Names......Page 176
Descriptive Species Names......Page 179
Geographic Species Names......Page 187
Commemorative Species Names......Page 188
The Etymology Section......Page 192
Sources......Page 194
Rationale for Types and Vouchers......Page 196
Selection of Types and Vouchers......Page 198
Composition of Type Material......Page 200
Documentation of Type Material......Page 201
Deposition of Types......Page 202
Type Section......Page 205
Sources......Page 208
What Is a Diagnosis?......Page 212
Diagnosis in Botanical Taxonomy......Page 214
What Is a Diagnostic Character?......Page 215
The Diagnosis Section: Animals......Page 216
The Diagnosis Section: Plants......Page 220
Additional Uses for Diagnoses......Page 221
Descriptive Writing......Page 224
Information Used in the Description Section......Page 226
Writing the Description......Page 233
Telegraphic Style......Page 234
The Description Section: Animals (Examples of Styles for Different Groups)......Page 237
The Description Section: Plants (Examples of Styles for Different Groups)......Page 251
Illustrating Taxonomic Descriptions......Page 254
Sources......Page 261
Purpose of the Discussion Section......Page 264
Discussion in Descriptions of New Species......Page 265
Evidence to Include......Page 270
Composite Papers......Page 277
The Discussion Section in Other Species Descriptions......Page 279
Taxonomic Ethics......Page 280
Ecology in Species Descriptions......Page 284
Field Records: Getting the Most from Field Work......Page 288
Ecological Information from Museum Specimens......Page 291
The Ecology Section......Page 292
Sources......Page 296
Distributional Information in Species Descriptions......Page 300
Parameters of Species Distributions......Page 301
The Distribution Section......Page 304
Distribution Papers......Page 312
Sources......Page 313
Practical Value......Page 316
In Original Descriptions......Page 317
In Other Descriptions......Page 318
Material Examined Section......Page 320
Material Examined: Botanical Taxonomy......Page 323
The Material Examined Paper......Page 324
Sources......Page 325
Criteria of Publication: Zoology......Page 326
Criteria of Publication: Botany......Page 329
Preparation of the Manuscript......Page 330
Submission of the Manuscript......Page 334
Final Revision and Publication......Page 335
Journals That Publish Taxonomic Papers......Page 337
Part Four: Beyond Species Description......Page 344
Why Are Subspecies Important?......Page 346
Infraspecific Variation......Page 347
Rules of Infraspecific Nomenclature: Zoology......Page 350
Rules of Infraspecific Nomenclature: Botany......Page 352
Deciding When to Name an Infraspecific Taxon......Page 353
Writing Infraspecific Descriptions......Page 355
Sources......Page 357
The Genus Concept......Page 360
Generic Names......Page 364
Generic Types......Page 369
Examples of Generic-Level Description......Page 372
Problems Caused by Generic Revision......Page 381
Infrageneric Categories and Names......Page 383
Sources......Page 386
Keys in Taxonomy......Page 390
Key Characters......Page 393
Single-Access (Analytical or Sequential) Keys......Page 394
Multiaccess Keys (Polyclaves)......Page 398
Key Construction......Page 401
Computerized Key Construction......Page 402
Sources......Page 403
CHAPTER 20. DESCRIPTION OF HIGHER TAXA......Page 406
Family Concepts and Their Use in Taxonomy......Page 407
Practical Significance in Biology......Page 408
Describing Families......Page 409
Family-Level Descriptions: Examples......Page 412
Redescriptions of Family-Level Taxa......Page 417
Descriptions of Taxa Above the Family Level......Page 419
Sources......Page 428
Missing Types......Page 430
Lectotypes......Page 434
Neotypes......Page 439
Necessary Name Changes......Page 445
Replacement Names: Homonymy......Page 447
Conservation of a Name......Page 448
Emendations......Page 450
New Combinations......Page 451
Lack of Information......Page 454
CHAPTER 22. FURTHER STUDIES IN SYSTEMATICS......Page 456
Evolutionary Systematics......Page 457
Phenetics......Page 461
Cladistics......Page 462
Molecular Systematics......Page 469
Biogeography......Page 473
Sources......Page 474
Literature Cited......Page 478
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