The ICZN and the Conventions of Taxonomy

ICZN = International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. First established in 1901 by the fifth International Congress of Zoology has gone through 4 revisions the last two developed by the Commission on Zoological Nomenclature of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS). The fourth edition of the ICZN was published in 1999

ICZN: Purpose Ensure a unique scientific name for each taxon – must be in Latin and conform with Latin grammar Provide rules for publication of new names and determine if old names are acceptable Ensure adequate documentation and dating of names Ensure typification Allow for revisions of names and classification on the basis of new information or insights Provide a chronological starting point to names used Provide an administrative system to oversee interpretation and improvement of the code

Typification The actual specimen used for the first published description of a species must be deposited in a recognized museum or collection as a type specimen referred to as the holotype (this not a ‘typical’ specimen or an ideal specimen ). Other specimens collected at the same locality and time as the holotype may be deposited in another museum as paratypes. Type specimens must include precise data as to location and time of collection

Scientific Name Pallifera dorsalis (Binney, 1857) When first used in a publication the entire name is usually required that includes the name of the person who first described the species and the date of the published description. Subsequent use of the species name can be abbreviated as P. dorsalis (note: as a Latin word the name must be italicized or underlined). If the name of the author is in () the genus into which he/she placed the species has been changed; if no () then the full name has remained the same since the species was described. Thus when Binney first described this slug he put it in a different genus (in this case, Philomycus) Other naming conventions: superfamily names usually end in –oidea (Arionoidea) family names end in –idea (e.g Philomycidae) subfamily names end in -inae (e.g. Palliferinae) Note: requirements for published descriptions, location data, and typification have become more strict over the years so that older names and specimens may not conform to modern standards.

Pallifera sp. Megapallifera sp Palliferinae Philomycidae Arionoidea Stylommatophora Pulmonata Gastropoda MolluscaMollusca Mollusca