Re: Old Dubia vs. New Valida

[Stanley Friesen <sarima@friesen.net>]

At 08:47 PM 1/30/00 -0500, Mike Keesey wrote:
>On Sat, 29 Jan 2000, Stanley Friesen wrote:
>
>> At 04:52 PM 1/24/00 -0500, Mike Keesey wrote:
>> >
>> >But if the type species of a genus is a junior synonym, the genus can't be
>> >valid. 
>> 
>> Why not?  This just results in the senior synonym being the type species.
>
>I don't see how this can happen. A genus is defined by its type
>species. If the type species is a junior synonym, so is the genus.
>
It doesn't work that way.  Species and generic synonymy are handled
independently, except in the case of synonymy of type species.  However,
even there the choice of senior synonym is still independent.

One case, the more common, is for one of the two species to NOT be a type
species.  In this case, the senior synonym becomes the type species by
virtue of subsuming the type *specimen* of the genus.

In the case that both species are type species, the two genera
automatically become synonyms, the first named becoming the senior synonym.
 But the type species of the senior genus is NOT necessarily the senior
species, since it might have been originally described as a non-type member
of some other genus.

>Or do you know of a situation that contradicts this?

I thought I did, but I cannot find one.

But the relevant rules from the (now obsolete) Third Edition of the Code
are Article 23, para d, 61 (c), and 69(a)(v) (the last by implication, as
the case it covers wouldn't apply under your interpretation).

--------------
May the peace of God be with you.         sarima@ix.netcom.com