Advantages of naming species under the PhyloCode: An example of how a new species of Discodorididae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Euthyneura, Nudibranchia, Doridina) may be named

Abstract

A new species of Discodorididae is described from the Pacific coasts of Mexico and Panama. It is named using a modified version of the epithet-based nomenclature proposed by Url Lanham 40 years ago. The species described here can be placed confidently in the clade Discodorididae, but not in any of its subclades (traditionally taxa of genus rank). The unique, epithet-based name of the species is “aliciae Dayrat, 2005”. The combination Discodorididae aliciae may also be used, once the unique, epithet-based name has been cited. Discodorididae aliciae is an example of how a new species of Discodorididae could be named in the context of phylogenetic nomenclature. I argue that epithet-based species names and their combinations with clade addresses should be very appealing to people who think phylogenetically. I also discuss two advantages of such combinations: first, they should be more stable than Linnaean binomials, which often change for arbitrary (e.g. non-phylogenetic) reasons; second, they should help taxonomists avoid creating multiple names for the same species.

Keywords:

• Eastern Pacific
• nomenclature
• phylogenetics
• sea-slugs
• species names
• taxonomy

Published in collaboration with the University of Bergen and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, and the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Published in collaboration with the University of Bergen and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, and the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Acknowledgments

This contribution was made possible by the collective efforts of Alicia Hermosillo, Terry Gosliner, and Ira Rubino. I am grateful to Liz Kools and Bob Van Syoc, from the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, and Adam Baldinger, from the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, for their efficient help with the collections. I wish to thank Dave Behrens for playing a significant role in helping connections among malacologists. I am indebted to many systematists who have reacted – sometimes quite strongly – to epithet-based nomenclature. In particular, I wish to thank the members of the systematics discussion group of the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco. I am grateful to Ken Angielczyk, Phil Cantino, Mónica Medina, Brent Mishler, Kevin de Queiroz, Peter Roopnarine, Chris Schander, and Amélie Scheltema for stimulating and productive discussion on nomenclature. Ken Angielczyk also provided invaluable comments on a draft of this manuscript. Phil Cantino, Mikael Härlin, and two anonymous referees provided constructive and helpful reviews that greatly improved the manuscript. This work was completed with support from the California Academy of Sciences, and the Partnership for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy program of the National Science Foundation (PEET DEB-9978155).

Notes

Published in collaboration with the University of Bergen and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, and the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Denmark