Describing Species

by Winston, Judith E.

• ISBN13: 9780231068253
• ISBN10: 0231068255
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-10-01
• Publisher: Columbia Univ Pr

Summary

New species are discovered every day -- and cataloguing all of them has grown into a nearly insurmountable task world-wide. Now, this definitive reference manual acts as a style guide for writing and filing species descriptions. New collecting techniques and new technology have led to a dramatic increase in the number of species that are discovered. Explorations of unstudied regions and new habitats for almost any group of organisms can result in a large number of new species discoveries -- and hence the need to be described. Yet there is no one source a student or researcher can readily consult to learn the basic practical aspects of taxonomic procedures. Species description can present a variety of difficulties: Problems arise when new species are not given names because their discoverers do not know how to write a formal species description or when these species are poorly described. Biologists may also have to deal with nomenclatural problems created by previous workers or resulting from new information generated by their own research. This practical resource for scientists and students contains instructions and examples showing how to describe newly discovered species in both the animal and plant kingdoms. With special chapters on publishing taxonomic papers and on ecology in species description, as well as sections covering subspecies, genus-level, and higher taxa descriptions, Describing Species enhances any writer's taxonomic projects, reports, checklists, floras, faunal surveys, revisions, monographs, or guides. The volume is based on current versions of the International Codes of Zoological and Botanical Nomenclature and recognizes that systematics is a global and multicultural exercise. Though Describing Species has been written for an English-speaking audience, it is useful anywhere Taxonomy is spoken and will be a valuable tool for professionals and students in zoology, botany, ecology, paleontology, and other fields of biology.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. xiii
List of Tables	p. xvii
Preface	p. xix
Introduction	p. 1
Introduction	p. 3
Describing the Living World	p. 3
Why Is Species Description Necessary?	p. 4
How New Species Are Described	p. 8
Scope and Organization of This Book	p. 12
The Pleasures of Systematics	p. 14
Sources	p. 15
Biological Nomenclature	p. 19
Humans as Taxonomists	p. 19
Biological Nomenclature	p. 21
Folk Taxonomy	p. 23
Binomial Nomenclature	p. 25
Development of Codes of Nomenclature	p. 26
The Current Codes of Nomenclature	p. 30
Future of the Codes	p. 36
Sources	p. 39
Recognizing Species	p. 41
Species and Their Discovery	p. 43
Species Concepts	p. 44
Processes Affecting Speciation	p. 46
Taxonomic Characters	p. 53
Examples of Ways in Which Biologists Have Discovered New Species	p. 55
Sources	p. 65
Establishing Identity: The Literature Search	p. 71
Mistakes and Bad Examples	p. 71
Establishing Identity	p. 73
Where to Find the Taxonomic Literature	p. 75
How to Read the Taxonomic Literature	p. 83
Species Descriptions	p. 83
Taxonomic Literature Searching on the Internet	p. 87
Sources	p. 88
Establishing Identity: Using Museum Collections	p. 95
Collections, Museums, and Herbaria	p. 96
Locating Material	p. 97
Borrowing Material	p. 102
Type Material	p. 103
Visiting Collections: What to Expect and how to Behave	p. 105
Cooperation with Systematists	p. 106
Sources	p. 107
Writing Species Descriptions	p. 113
Species Descriptions in Taxonomy	p. 115
Reasons for Writing Species Descriptions	p. 115
Different Kinds of Taxonomic Publications	p. 116
Form of the Descriptive Paper	p. 125
Headings and Synonymies	p. 129
Description Headings	p. 129
Synonyms	p. 134
Synonymies	p. 135
New Species	p. 136
Types of Synonymies	p. 137
Terms Used in Synonymies	p. 140
Different Kinds of Synonymies	p. 140
References in Headings and Synonymies	p. 144
Naming Species: Etymology	p. 147
Naming Species	p. 147
Brief Review of Latin and Greek	p. 149
Basic Rules of Species Names	p. 153
Descriptive Species Names	p. 156
Geographic Species Names	p. 164
Commemorative Species Names	p. 165
Nonsense Species Names	p. 169
The Etymology Section	p. 169
Sources	p. 171
Type and Voucher Material	p. 173
Rationale for Types and Vouchers	p. 173
Rules of Nomenclature Regarding Types	p. 175
Selection of Types and Vouchers	p. 175
Composition of Type Material	p. 177
Documentation of Type Material	p. 178
Deposition of Types	p. 179
Type Section	p. 182
Sources	p. 185
Diagnosis	p. 189
What Is a Diagnosis?	p. 189
Diagnosis in Zoological Taxonomy	p. 191
Diagnosis in Botanical Taxonomy	p. 191
What Is a Diagnostic Character?	p. 192
The Diagnosis Section: Animals	p. 193
The Diagnosis Section: Plants	p. 197
Additional Uses for Diagnoses	p. 198
Description Section	p. 201
Descriptive Writing	p. 201
Information Used in the Description Section	p. 203
Writing the Description	p. 210
Telegraphic Style	p. 211
The Description Section: Animals (Examples of Styles for Different Groups)	p. 214
The Description Section: Plants (Examples of Styles for Different Groups)	p. 228
Illustrating Taxonomic Descriptions	p. 231
Sources	p. 238
Taxonomic Discussion Section	p. 241
Purpose of the Discussion Section	p. 241
Discussion in Descriptions of New Species	p. 242
Evidence to Include	p. 247
Composite Papers	p. 254
The Discussion Section in Other Species Descriptions	p. 256
Taxonomic Ethics	p. 257
The Ecology Section	p. 261
Ecology in Species Descriptions	p. 261
Analysis of Ecological Variation	p. 265
Field Records: Getting the Most from Field Work	p. 265
Ecological Information from Museum Specimens	p. 268
The Ecology Section	p. 269
Sources	p. 273
Occurrence and Distribution	p. 277
Distributional Information in Species Descriptions	p. 277
Parameters of Species Distributions	p. 278
The Distribution Section	p. 281
Distribution Papers	p. 289
Sources	p. 290
Material Examined	p. 293
Practical Value	p. 293
In Original Descriptions	p. 294
In Other Descriptions	p. 295
Material Examined Section	p. 297
Material Examined: Botanical Taxonomy	p. 300
The Material Examined Paper	p. 301
Sources	p. 302
Publication	p. 303
Criteria of Publication: Zoology	p. 303
Criteria of Publication: Botany	p. 306
Preparation of the Manuscript	p. 307
Submission of the Manuscript	p. 311
Final Revision and Publication	p. 312
Journals That Publish Taxonomic Papers	p. 314
Beyond Species Description	p. 321
Subspecies	p. 323
Why Are Subspecies Important?	p. 323
Infraspecific Variation	p. 324
Rules of Infraspecific Nomenclature: Zoology	p. 327
Rules of Infraspecific Nomenclature: Botany	p. 329
Deciding When to Name an Infraspecific Taxon	p. 330
Writing Infraspecific Descriptions	p. 332
Sources	p. 334
Genus-Level Description and Revision	p. 337
The Genus Concept	p. 337
When to Describe a New Genus	p. 341
Generic Names	p. 341
Publication of Generic Names	p. 346
Generic Types	p. 346
Examples of Generic-Level Description	p. 349
Problems Caused by Generic Revision	p. 358
Infrageneric Categories and Names	p. 360
Sources	p. 363
Keys	p. 367
Keys in Taxonomy	p. 367
Key Characters	p. 370
Single-Access (Analytical or Sequential) Keys	p. 371
Multiaccess Keys (Polyclaves)	p. 375
Interactive Identification	p. 378
Key Construction	p. 378
Computerized Key Construction	p. 379
Sources	p. 380
Description of Higher Taxa	p. 383
Family Concepts and Their Use in Taxonomy	p. 384
Practical Significance in Biology	p. 385
Describing Families	p. 386
Family-Level Descriptions: Examples	p. 389
Redescriptions of Family-Level Taxa	p. 394
Descriptions of Taxa Above the Family Level	p. 396
Problems with Nomenclature of Higher Taxa	p. 405
Sources	p. 405
Common Problems	p. 407
Missing Types	p. 407
Lectotypes	p. 411
Neotypes	p. 416
Necessary Name Changes	p. 422
Replacement Names: Homonymy	p. 424
Conservation of a Name	p. 425
Emendations	p. 427
New Combinations	p. 428
Lack of Information	p. 431
Further Studies in Systematics	p. 433
Evolutionary Systematics	p. 434
Phenetics	p. 438
Cladistics	p. 439
Molecular Systematics	p. 446
Biogeography	p. 450
Comparative Biology	p. 451
Sources	p. 451
Literature Cited	p. 455
Subject Index	p. 489
Author Index	p. 503
Taxon Index	p. 513
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