Re: Zootaxa iguanodont paper

[John Wilkins <john.s.wilkins@gmail.com>]

Actually, the issue is partly why species delimitation was restricted under the 
Strickland code to professionals: every garden breeder was naming plant 
varieties as new species in the gardening journals. See

McOuat, Gordon R. (2001), 'Cataloguing power: delineating 'competent 
naturalists' and the meaning of species in the British Museum', The British 
Journal for the History of Science, 34, 1-28.

On 07/06/2010, at 9:28 AM, David Marjanovic wrote:

>> species do not last long. It is now known that the species of
>> centrosaurs, chasmosaurs, corythosaurs, lambeosaurines were limited
>> to distinct levels of the Dinosaur Park formation. Before referring
>> specimens to a known species it must be first demonstrated they are
>> from the same level of a formation as the type.
> 
> All this depends on which species concept you pick. For instance, if your 
> concept is purely morphological, a species can last forever if its body shape 
> happens not to change "enough".
> 
> Unfortunately, most people don't even consciously pick only one species 
> concept, let alone actually write down which one they've chosen. And the ICZN 
> pretends the entire issue doesn't exist... indeed, it's founded (Strickland 
> et al. 1842, 1843) on the view that this vagueness is a feature rather than a 
> bug.

-- 
John Wilkins, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, Bond Uni 
Associate, Philosophy, University of Sydney
john@wilkins.id.au
"Correlation doesn't imply causation, but it does waggle its eyebrows 
suggestively and gesture furtively while mouthing 'look over there'." 
<http://xkcd.com/552/>