Re: GALTONIA THE FLOWER

[Marilyn Wegweiser <mdwegweiser@bsuvc.bsu.edu>]

At 7:22 PM -0800 3/5/01, Mickey_Mortimer wrote:
> Darren Naish wrote-
>
> >  I cannot find any plant name database on the www (my usual port of
> >  call is http://www.biosis.org.uk/triton/indexfm.htm) but assume that
> >  this was named before _Galtonia_ Hunt and Lucas 1994. I think I
> >  remember hearing that it's Ok for plant and animal taxa to bear the
> >  same names but, even so, I thought this was interesting.
>
> This is a bit off-topic, but if a plant and animal can have the same name,
> what about other organisms?  Where does the definition of "animal" and
> "plant" stop when it comes to nomenclature?  Could you hypothetically name a
> chondrocyte the same thing as a demosponge?  And what about fungi,
> eubacteria, archaea and viruses, not to mention the many unicellular
> eukaryotes?

Ohhhhhh. How about when ichnotaxa have body fossil names as well, or 
are misidentified as body fossils? You just have to stay on top of 
it, outside of dinosaurs. They did live on a planet with lots and 
lots of other "stuff" -albeit some will consider that stuff 
overburden, underburden, and coeval burden. That "stuff" is all part 
of the paleoecological landscape and needs to be considered. For the 
most part, the ICZN does somewhat address these issues.

Yes, it's bothersome to find a plant and a trace with the nearly the 
same taxonomic identification. Early on "fucoids" were thought to be 
plants (Hall. J., White, I.C., Orton, E.O., and many others, 1840's 
-1880s') - no big deal; that was then, this is now. I look at it and 
say to myself: "what is this trace fossil and how does it impact my 
life?"(and my research)  and I move on.
We do manage to get over it. ;^)

Cheers,
Marilyn
--
                        =00=  =00=  =00=  =00=
                        Marilyn D. Wegweiser, Ph.D.
                Adjunct Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology
                     Cincinnati Natural History Museum

Assistant Professor of Geology
Department of Geology                   mdwegweiser@bsu.edu
Ball State University                   Office: 765-285-8268;765-285-8270
Muncie, Indiana 47306                   FAX:    765-285-8265