Natural Groups and Genera

[Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX]

Just a quick blab on something I have mentioned before. The genus
Loranthomitoura. This genus was erected on the basis of a host plant
difference and a difference in the arrangement of hairs on the caterpillars.
In comparing this new construct to the magnitude of differences used to
justify many other butterfly genera I cannot help but observe that a genus
on the grounds stated above is a really lonnngggg leap of faith :-) But of
course if it makes sense to others they are welcome to use the name at the
genus level. There is no law that prohibits such and the rules of zoological
nomenclature do not impinge on anyones rights to form a taxonomic opinion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Norbert Kondla  P.Biol., RPBio.
Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management
845 Columbia Avenue, Castlegar, British Columbia V1N 1H3
Phone 250-365-8610
Mailto:Norbert.Kondla at gems3.gov.bc.ca       
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca


 
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