Subspecies

[Doug Yanega]

Bill (posing as Esther) wrote:

>Ken:
>Thats a good Idea to name a ssp after the location, it would clarify
>verbal ID and the name need not be in latin if everyone knew it to be a
>place name. I'll bet though that the name would still have to conform to
>the rules of latin so it would get distorted enough to make sense to
>Romans. Also, those dilligent souls who ultimately decide these things
>are rumored to move through taxonomic esoterica the way continents move
>through the lithosphere, and I'll bet there are curators who would feel
>a cold chill if they even heard rumors of this.

Species epithets do not *have* to conform to latin rules. Take a look at my
home page to see numerous humorous examples. Basically, and I'm sure others
will correct me if I'm wrong, you need only specify in your original
description that the epithet is being formed as a "noun in apposition" and
you can then use anything you like, as long as it's a single effective word
("golovnin bay" would be prohibited, but not "golovnin-bay"). But yes,
there are people who don't like non-traditional nomenclature, but most of
them work on vertebrates or plants. ;-)

Peace,


Doug Yanega       Dept. of Entomology           Entomology Research Museum
Univ. of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521
phone: (909) 787-4315
                  http://www.icb.ufmg.br/~dyanega/
  "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
        is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82