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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">Dear Doug, dear all,<br>
<br>
maybe two things to chip in:<br>
<br>
Loosing type material is a big loss for a collection, no question.
There many threats for such valuable specimens, and fire being one
of them. Severe cuts to budget lines, natural disasters, war and
many other threats add to this list. Munich lost a substantial
part of its types in WW II, and have been replaced only in
relevant cases (following ICZN recommendations). Even though we
lost all but one Spix type of his Fishes of Brazil here in Munich,
a good chunk of syntypes survived in Switzerland, because of
Agassiz' deposition of doublets in Neuchatel. Splitting of type
series and deposition of types preferably on different continents
underlines not only your appreciation for colleagues/institutions
you love to collaborate with, but could also be understood as
precautionary measure. Still, many colleagues understand type
material as (personal) treasure used to raise the profile of the
own collection. This definitely is important, yes, but it might be
worth to consider deposition of type material abroad, too. We
don't need a fire to destroy an entire or substantial part of a
collection, a malfunctioning sprinkler head in your type
collection can do a terribly good job over the weekend as well.
Splitting of type series does not necessarily lower the research
profile of a collection.<br>
<br>
Secondly, types, and especially the holotypes, are well known,
described, depicted. We know a lot about these specimens, and
neotypes are actually rarely needed. The by far larger loss is the
new, undescribed, unstudied, unexplored material that was lost in
Rio or is lost such an event anywhere in a collection on this
planet. This material definitely is irreplaceable, because it
cannot be re-collected from the past. But these are the future
assets of an collection, the potential for new research projects,
new research careers, ... but too often, this material is
neglected in the one way or the other. We should keep in mind that
in those unsorted bulk samples, the future types are hiding, and
take care for such material accordingly. <br>
<br>
Dirk<br>
<br>
Am 13.09.2018 um 05:06 schrieb Doug Yanega:<br>
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cite="mid:880a5d07-ad49-534d-bece-6d5b3c44b047@ucr.edu">
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<p>Hi, all. <br>
</p>
<p>Among the things that have arisen in the aftermath of the
terrible fire this month in Brazil's Museu Nacional - a tragedy
that affects many in the global scientific community - are
numerous public comments regarding the loss of the thousands of
holotype specimens housed in Rio, and how difficult it will be
to replace them all. The latter assertion - implying or claiming
that <b>all </b>of the lost types will need to be replaced -
is inaccurate, and those of us serving on the ICZN
(International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature) feel that
it is essential to provide accurate information to counteract
some of these well-intentioned but slightly misleading comments.
Our aim is not to dismiss the concerns of those who are worried
about the consequences of losing so many type specimens, but to
reassure people that only a <b>fraction</b> of those lost types
actually require replacement, in no small part due to the
commendable foresight of curators and researchers who recorded
digital images of many of those types.</p>
<p>Accordingly, I and a number of other Commissioners have drafted
an advisory document outlining what the ICZN Code actually says
regarding the replacement of lost types, emphasizing that the
situation surrounding each individual type must be taken into
account, and <b>only in exceptional cases</b> is it possible to
designate a replacement (neotype); doing so requires very
explicit justification and documentation. It is entirely likely
that only a small fraction of the holotypes that have been lost
will fulfill the necessary criteria, thus greatly reducing the
burden on the taxonomic community. The task will not be easy,
but it will not be as comprehensive or labor-intensive as many
have assumed.</p>
<p>For those of you who have an interest in this matter, please
see<br>
</p>
<p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ef0H0pwnjJW5B5thzp-Fs5J3qEomuJyoEvKQd4hx-Lk/edit?usp=sharing"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ef0H0pwnjJW5B5thzp-Fs5J3qEomuJyoEvKQd4hx-Lk/edit?usp=sharing</a><br>
</p>
<p>There are, inevitably, parts of the Code that can be easily
overlooked, easily misinterpreted, or fairly subjective. The
purpose of this particular document is to serve for
clarification and as a practical guideline. It does not, in any
way, supercede the "legislative" text of the Code itself, which
is appended - unaltered - at the end of the document, and also
available at <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/hosted-sites/iczn/code/"
moz-do-not-send="true">http://www.nhm.ac.uk/hosted-sites/iczn/code/</a>
in its entirety. We would urge people in particular to note the
various provisions of Article 75.3, especially 75.3.6 and
75.3.7.<br>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Please do bear in mind that the rules concerning neotype
designations are explicitly intended to ensure a measure of
quality control over the process, and prevent abuses of the
system; every one of these rules is in place for a good reason.
Most of these rules have been unchanged (or even slightly
relaxed) since at least the 1961 edition of the Code, if not
earlier, and they have served the community well thus far.<br>
</p>
<p>If you read through the document and still are uncertain about
anything, I and the other Commissioners are generally available
to answer questions. We would certainly prefer to spend a little
effort to address taxonomists' concerns <b>before</b> any types
are replaced, rather than after.</p>
<p>PLEASE do pass this message on to colleagues who might benefit
from this information, including other mailing lists or social
media groups where this topic is of broad interest. This
document may eventually be published, but broad dissemination of
the information <b>now</b> will still be beneficial, especially
given that publications have a much smaller reach than mailing
lists and social media, and also given how quickly, and widely,
inaccurate assumptions and claims have already been distributed.</p>
<p>Sincerely, Doug Yanega<br>
</p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Doug Yanega Dept. of Entomology Entomology Research Museum
Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0314 skype: dyanega
phone: (951) 827-4315 (disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's)
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://cache.ucr.edu/%7Eheraty/yanega.html" moz-do-not-send="true">http://cache.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.html</a>
"There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82</pre>
<br>
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<p><br>
</p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Dirk Neumann
Tel: 089 / 8107-111
Fax: 089 / 8107-300
*new email: neumann(a)snsb.de*
Postanschrift:
Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns
Zoologische Staatssammlung München
Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Storage
Münchhausenstr. 21
81247 München
Besuchen Sie unsere Sammlung:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/">http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/</a>
---------
Dirk Neumann
Tel: +49-89-8107-111
Fax: +49-89-8107-300
*new email: neumann(a)snsb.de*
postal address:
Bavarian Natural History Collections
The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology
Dirk Neumann, Section Ichthyology / DNA-Storage
Muenchhausenstr. 21
81247 Munich (Germany)
Visit our section at:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/">http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/</a>
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