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AMENDMENT OF RULE 24 ( 4 ) RELATIVE TO THE LEGITIMACY OF
NAMES OF TAXONOMIC GROUPS WHICH ARE HOMONYMS
P r e l i m i n a r y Statement
A t t h e meetings of t h e J u d i c i a l
Commission and t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Committee on E3acterioloqical
Nomenclature a t R i o d e J a n e i r o
i n August 1950 t h e r e was a g r e e ment t h a t R u l e 24 of t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Code of B a c t e r i o l o g i c a l Nomenclature i n i t s S e c t i o n
( 4 ) should be amended. The r e sum; ( 1 ) of t h e m i n u t e s s t a t e s
t h a t t h e amendment should “ c o r r e c t a n e r r o r t h a t had b e e n
o v e r l o o k e d when t h e Code was
approved a t Copenhagen.
I n the
f o u r t h paragraph o f Rule 24 t h e
word ‘ g e n u s ’ was i n c o r r e c t l y
used f o r ‘ taxonomic g r o u p ’ , and
i t was agreed t h a t an a p p r o p r i a t e c o r r e c t i o n should be made.”
The E d i t o r i a l Board s u g g e s t s
c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e problem
posed, and submits s e v e r a l proposals for study.
Criticism
and d i s c u s s i o n by t h o s e i n t e r ested a r e invited,
The f i n a l
wording of t h e proposals w i l l
be f o r m u l a t e d by t h e J u d i c i a l
Commission f o r s u b m i s s i o n t o
t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Committee on
B a c t e r i o l o g i c a l Nomenclature.
Rule 24 reads a s f o l l o w s : “ A name m u s t be r e j e c t e d i f i t
is i l l e g i t i m a t e , i . e . , i f i t i s
c o n t r a r y t o a r u l e . The p u b l i c a t i o n of an e p i t h e t i n an i l l e g i t i m a t e combination must not
be taken i n t o c o n s i d e r a t i o n f o r
A name
p u r p o s e s of p r i o r i t y .
of a taxonomic g r o u p i s i l l e gitimate i n the following
cases: There then follow e i g h t c a t e g o r i e s of names which a r e t o be
regarded a s i l l e g i t i m a t e . The
d i r e c t i v e f o r amendment r e f e r s
t o t h e f o u r t h of t h e s e , which
s t a t e s t h a t t h e name of a t a x o nomic qroup i s not 1 e q i t i m a t e : “ ( 4 ) . I f i t i s a l a t e r homonym
of a g e n u s of b a c t e r i a , of a
genus of p l a n t s , o r of a genus
of prOtoZOi3, t h a t i s , i f i t d u p l i c a t e s a name p r e v i o u s l y and
v a l i d l y published f o r a group
of t h e same r a n k b a s e d o n a
different type.
Even i f t h e
e a r l i e r homonym i s i l l e g i t i m a t e
or i s g e n e r a l l y t r e a t e d a s a
synonym on taxonomic g r o u n d s ,
t h e l a t e r homonym must b e r e jected.
When a n a u t h o r s i m u l t a n e o u s l y p u b l i s h e s t h e same
name f o r more t h a n one g r o u p ,
the f i r s t a u t h o r who adopts one
of them, or s u b s t i t u t e s another
name f o r one of them, must b e
followed
.”
Several suggestions r e l a t i v e t o
r e p h r a s i n q of Rule 24 have been
made t o make i t c l e a r t h a t i t
i s concerned not o n l y w i t h gene r a t h a t a r e homonyms, b u t w i t h
taxonomic groups ( t a x a ) of a l l
ranks.
Two a l t e r n a t i v e p r o p o s a l s h a v e b e e n made.
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BACTERIOLOCICAL
NOMENCLATURE AND TAXONOMY
A. D r a f t ProDosal for
Emendation of Rule 24.
R e v i s e t h e f i r s t p a r a g r a p h of
Rule 2 4 S e c t i o n ( 4 ) t o r e a d a s
follows:- “ I f i t i s a l a t e r
homonym of t h e name of a t a x o nomic group ( t a x o n ) of b a c t e r i a , p l a n t s or p r o t o z o a ; t h a t i s ,
i f i t d u p l i c a t e s a name p r e v i o u s l y and v a l i d l y p u b l i s h e d f o r
a t a x o n of t h e same rank b a s e d
on a d i f f e r e n t type
.”
B. D r a f t P r o p o s a l f o r
Emendation of Rule 24.
R e v i s e t h e f i r s t p a r a g r a p h of
Rule 24 S e c t i o n ( 4 ) t o r e a d a s
follows:- “ I f i t i s a l a t e r
homonym of t h e name of a t a x o nomic qroup ( t a x o n ) i n b a c t e r i ology, botany o r protozoology,
t h a t i s i f i t d u p l i c a t e s a name
p r e v i o ~ i s l yand v a l i d l y p u b l i s h ed for a taxon of t h e same rank
based on a d i f f e r e n t type.”
Lecitimacy of S p e c i f i c
Epithet s
.
A q u e s t i o n h a s been r a i s e d a s
t o t h e l e g i t i m a c y of s p e c i f i c
e p i t h e t s which a r e l a t e r homoI t may b e p o i n t e d o u t
nyms.
t h a t a s p e c i f i c e p i t h e t i s not
a taxonomic group, and t h a t l e g i t i m a c y of s p e c i f i c e p i t h e t s
which a r e homonyms i s n o t d e Rule 6
termined by Rule 24.
provides t h a t w i t h i n a genus no
t w o s p e c i e s names ‘may b e a r t h e
same s p e c i f i c e p i t h e t .
Furt h e r , Rule 7 p r o v i d e s t h a t n e i t h e r w i t h i n t h e same s p e c i e s
nor w i t h i n t h e same g e n u s may
two s u b s p e c i e s b e a r t h e same
s u b s p e c i f i c e p i t h e t . However,
t h e l e g i t i m a c y of a s p e c i e s
name ( c o n s i s t i n g of g e n e r i c
name and s p e c i f i c e p i t h e t ) i s
determined by Rule 24.
It i s
suqgested t h a t consideration
miaht be g i v e n t o an emendation
o f t h e c o d e which would f i x more
c l e a r l y t h e s t a t u s of s p e c i f i c
e p i t h e t s which a r e homonyms.
Rule 25 s t a t e s : “Specific e p i t h e t s a r e i l l e g i t imate i n t h e f o l l o w i n g s p e c i a l
c a s e s and must be r e j e c t e d .
(1) When t h e y a r e m e r e l y words
n o t i n t e n d e d a s names.
( 2 ) When t h e y a r e m e r e l y o r d i n a l a d j e c t i v e s b e i n g used f o r
enumeration.
(3) When t h e y e x a c t l y r e p e a t
t h e q e n e r i c name ( t a u t o n y m s ) . ”
D r a f t P r o p o s a l f o r Emend a t i o n of Rule 2 5 .
Modify t h e w o r d i n g of R u l e 25
and add a new s e c t i o n a s f o l lows: A specific epithet is i l l e g i t i mate i n t h e f o l l o w i n g s p e c i a l
c a s e s and must be r e j e c t e d : ( 1 ) When i t i s m e r e l y a word
not intended a s a name.
( 2 ) When i t i s m e r e l y an o r d i n a l a d j e c t i v e w e d f o r enumerat ion.
(3) When i t e x a c t l y r e p e a t s t h e
g e n e r i c name (tautonym).
( 4 ) When i t i s a l a t e r homonym
w i t h i n t h e same g e n u s , t h a t i s
when i t d u p l i c a t e s a s p e c i f i c
e p i t h e t p r e v i o u s l y and v a l i d l y
p u b l i s h e d i n a s p e c i e s of t h e
same genus based upon a d i f f e r -
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*
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INTERNATIONAL BULLETIN
ent type.
Reference
(1).
Cowan, S. T. and R. S. Breed. Resumd of Nomenclature Cornrnittee and Judicial Commission Meetings at Rio de Janeiro.
International B u l l . of Bact. Nom. and Tax. J,:4-7.
1951.
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