Name Stability

[David Webster]

Doug Yanega wrote:

>  When we
> have no solid phylogeny, then lumping is preferred; the better the
> phylogeny, the more confidently we can assign divisions without
> fearing
> they'll collapse into chaos under further scrutiny.

    I have followed this thread with interest. Much inconvenience and
confusion would be avoided if Doug's statement (above) guided the
establishment of limits for Genera.
    Provided the inclusive Genus in question turned out to be a natural
unit, it would be possible to refine phylogenies _ad nauseum_, by
revising Sub-Genera, Sections, Sub-Sections, Tribes etc., while the
Genus name remained unchanged.
    Yours truly, David Webster, Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada
<snip>

> It *is* possible to
> treat these things a bit more objectively than people are suggesting.
>         However, there seem to be many more lepidopterists playing
> around
> with classification per se than are working seriously to define
> phylogenies, and that's effectively putting the cart before the horse
> - if
> you want name stability, then establish some stable idea of
> relationships
> FIRST. Sure, we had classifications established LONG before
> phylogenetic
> theory was conceived of, but it's amazing how long it's taking people
> to
> rework their old classifications using some *objective* criteria for a
>
> change. Anyone care to explain why Argynnis and Speyeria are
> unambiguously
> different genera, for example? ;-)
>
> Peace,
>
> Doug Yanega        Dept. of Entomology         Entomology Research
> Museum
> Univ. of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521
> phone: (909) 787-4315 (standard disclaimer: opinions are mine, not
> UCR's)
>            http://entmuseum9.ucr.edu/staff/yanega.html
>   "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
>         is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82
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