On the Authorship, Availability, and Improper Use of Sus scrofa ferus for Referring to Wild Pigs

Alessio Iannucci

doi:10.3390/taxonomy2010007

Abstract

The wild boar, Sus scrofa, is one of the most successful large mammals in terms of geographic distribution. Along with its domestic descendant, the pig, they are extremely important animals for conservation, economy, human sustenance, and well-being. Naming wild and domestic pigs in a way that allows them to be distinguished effectively and unambiguously is crucial for a number of studies in archaeozoology, biomedicine, genetics, epidemiology, paleontology, and wildlife management. Sus scrofa ferus, or less commonly, Sus ferus, is often used to refer to wild populations, frequently in opposition to S. scrofa domesticus, or S. domesticus in reference to domestic pigs. Here, it is argued that S. scrofa ferus is available for nomenclatural purposes but should not be regarded as valid from a taxonomic perspective. Authors should refer wild populations to valid subspecies, e.g., S. scrofa scrofa, or to S. scrofa ssp., when information on the subspecific status is not available or relevant for the research questions under consideration. This remark is not a mere nomenclatural clarification, because the potential identification of differences between wild boar taxa is often hidden behind a simplistic dichotomy between wild and domestic forms.

Highlights

Wild boars are characterized by an extremely high reproductive rate in comparison to other artiodactyls of similar body mass, which exacerbates their impact on conservation and the economy, as well as explaining their evolutionary success [5,6,7]
It is argued that S. scrofa ferus is available for nomenclatural purposes but should not be regarded as valid from a taxonomic perspective, clarifying the authorship of the taxon and providing a concise review of the development of this concept
A relatively recent ruling of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) conserved the widespread usage of 17 specific names based on wild species, which were coined at the same time or later than those available for their domestic counterparts [21]

Summary

Introduction

Suids (Suidae, Artiodactyla, Mammalia), or pigs, comprise about twenty extant species [1,2]. The domestic pig, derived from the wild boar, is an enormously important animal for human subsistence and welfare, being the only domesticated omnivore among major livestock species [8]. This relationship goes back several millennia, meaning that the correct identification of pig remains (wild or domestic) is a crucial archeozoological question [9,10]. Naming wild and domestic pigs in a way that allows them to be distinguished effectively and unambiguously is crucial for addressing several research questions.

The Problem of Naming Domestic Species

The Case of Sus scrofa ferus

Discussion