Abstract

A recently proposed taxonomic classification of extant ungulates sparked a series of publications that criticize the Phylogenetic Species Concept (PSC) claiming it to be a particularly poor species concept. These opinions reiteratively stated that (1) the two fundamental elements of the "PSC", i.e., monophyly and diagnosability, do not offer objective criteria as to where the line between species should be drawn; and (2) that extirpation of populations can lead to artificial diagnosability and spurious recognitions of species. This sudden eruption of criticism against the PSC is misleading. Problems attributed to the PSC are common to most approaches and concepts that modern systematists employ to establish species boundaries. The controversial taxonomic propositions that sparked criticism against the PSC are indeed highly problematic, not because of the species concept upon which they are based, but because no evidence (whatsoever) has become public to support a substantial portion of the proposed classification. We herein discuss these topics using examples from mammals. Numerous areas of biological research rest upon taxonomic accuracy (including conservation biology and biomedical research); hence, it is necessary to clarify what are (and what are not) the real sources of taxonomic inaccuracy.

Highlights

  • We argue that the problems attributed to the Phylogenetic Species Concept (PSC) are common to most methodological approaches to species limits and to the most commonly used species concepts that have been the basis for the taxonomic classifications of mammals currently in use

  • We show that the recent criticism against Groves & Grubb’s (2011) ungulate taxonomy is mistakenly focused on an "alleged poverty" of the PSC, whereas the real cause of taxonomic inflation in that proposed classification

  • Species B, which is represented by circles, is restricted to North. America, where it occurs in sympatry with some NoruthseAsmebriocatnhpodpiualgatnioonssiosf sapencdies mA onophyly to delimit species has been, and will continue to be, important for Major differences exist am(opanngel t1h).eIfdeixffteirpreatniotncoofnpcopeuplatstiolnasboeflsepdecies A tpakoessitpilvaecelyanaddovnalyntchionsge pmopaulmatmionaslian taxonomy

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Summary

Introduction

A recently proposed taxonomic classification for extant ungulates (Groves & Grubb, 2011) sparked a series of publications criticizing the species concept upon which the classification was based, i.e., Phylogenetic Species Concept (PSC) (Heller et al, 2013; Zachos et al, 2013; Zachos, 2013, 2015; Zachos & Lovari, 2013), albeit previous published opinions had already presented some of the same arguments against the PSC (e.g., Frankham et al, 2012; Garnett & Christidis, 2007; Isaac et al, 2004; Tattersall, 2007).

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