Alberto Ballerio, Daniel Withmore, insieme a tutto il gruppo dei componenti della Commissione Internazionale di Nomenclatura Zoologica, hanno appena pubblicato questo saggio sui problemi relativi alle “diagnosi specifiche” basate sul DNA nella pratica tassonomica.
Era da tempo ormai che si discuteva tra noi su come affrontare il problema non contravvenendo il Codice di Nomenclatura. Mi piacerebbe ora sondare il parere dei colleghi tassonomi sulla posizione assunta dalla Commissione
ABSTRACT
Modern advances in DNA sequencing hold the promise of facilitating descriptions of new organisms at ever finer precision but have come with challenges as the major Codes of bionomenclature contain poorly defined requirements for species and subspecies diagnose (henceforth, species diagnoses), which is particularly problematic for DNA-based taxonomy. We, the commissioners of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, advocate a tightening of the definition of “species diagnosis” in future editions of Codes of bionomenclature, for example, through the introduction of requirements for specific information on the character states of differentiating traits in comparison with similar species. Such new provisions would enhance taxonomic standards and ensure that all diagnoses, including DNA-based ones, contain adequate taxonomic context. Our recommendations are intended to spur discussion among biologists, as broad community consensus is critical
ahead of the implementation of new editions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and other Codes of bionomenclature.
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