Diagnostic Material

[Jaime Headden <qi_leong@hotmail.com>]

  Greg Paul's recent notification of his and Carpenter's appeal to the ICZN has 
left me with a question  (previously posted, but perhaps not pointed in the 
right direction).

  I am rather intrigued by any use of "not diagnostic," or the conclusion that 
a specimen is not complete enough to be diagnostic. This lends the very meaning 
of the word "diagnostic" in question.

  I thus ask what, if any, definitions for the term "diagnostic" are available 
for specimens (either as types, for referral phylogenetically, or determination 
for completeness)? It seems a fairly important question that is both raised and 
left out of the application by Paul and Carpenter, and I am sure there are 
other people just as interested as I in this apparently important scientific, 
yet seemingly underdefined term.
                                          
_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail is redefining busy with tools for the New Busy. Get more from your 
inbox.
http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_2