On 22 June 2010 14:06,
<wiki-list(a)phizz.demon.co.uk> wrote:
There is a major problem with latin names in a
number of taxa. It seems that if tehre are 5 consecutive wet days in Summer a couple of
researchers put their heads together and concoct new names, move things about, split, or
combine species.
And the actual problem here is that "species" as biology now
understands it is more than a little fluid, which is why researchers
look forward to those five consecutive wet days in summer, to sort out
the mess ... the problem you describe is how to make rigid
descriptions of something at the fluid level.
Of course, but then some national organisations adopt the new classifications, and other
do not, or are tardy in their adoption. Meanwhile someone is using an identification key
or guidebook from say 1973, or knows the species from its previous latin name.
The common name in any language has more stability as far as the lay person is concerned.
the lay person shouldn't have to first find the latin name of an organism when looking
it up: