A partial but radical solution to the problem of nomenclatural taxonomic inflation and synonymy load

Abstract

The permanent increase in the number of taxa recognized by taxonomists has several causes: (1) a genuine taxonomic increase due to the discovery of new taxa or data; (2) conceptual taxonomic inflation due to different methodological approaches using the same data; and (3) nomenclatural inflation due to unwarranted descriptions of new taxa that later will have to be treated as synonyms. One of the reasons for the latter artificial phenomenon is that names of authors are usually cited after the Latin nomina of taxa. 'Nomenclatural mihilism' is an important cause for this synonymy load, which has negative effects on the activity of taxonomists. It is suggested that this artefact could be in part reduced if authors' names were not cited after scientific nomina of taxa. Precise proposals in this respect are offered regarding the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. The benefits and problems that could result from such a drastic change are briefly discussed. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London.