Zoological Nomenclature Research Articles

The status of the nomen "Ovophis malhotrae" (Squamata, Serpentes, Viperidae, Crotalinae)

We show that the new nomen "Ovophis malhotrae" proposed by Zeng et al. (2023a‒b) is nomenclaturally unavailable. As we consider the species for which it was coined taxonomically valid, we propose for it a new nomen, satisfying the criteria of publication of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. The original description of this species is slightly expanded.

Hidden in plain sight: Systematic review of Indo-West Pacific Siphonariidae uncovers extensive cryptic diversity based on comparative morphology and mitochondrial phylogenetics (Mollusca, Gastropoda)

This study combines phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequences with comparative morphological analyses to revise the taxonomy of 101 nominal siphonariid species from the Indo-West Pacific belonging to the genera Siphonaria Sowerby I, 1823 and Williamia Monterosato, 1884. We have examined preserved specimens that have been newly collected at 462 sites across Australasia, the Indo-West Pacific, and in temperate zones of the northern and southern Pacific. Critically, our sampling includes topotypic specimens of 98 nominal species. The study area covered herein extends between the latitudes of 60°N and 55°S and the longitudes of 37°E and 175°W. We have sequenced two mitochondrial genes (COI and 16S) from 546 individuals and conducted a phylogenetic analysis including additional sequences from GenBank. We also studied the anatomy of 436 individuals using dissections and scanning electron microscopy. This study offers a comprehensive documentation and taxonomic assessment of type specimens for nearly all examined nominal species. Our taxonomic revision leads us to accept 88 species, which are thoroughly redescribed. 52 nominal species are treated as synonyms of earlier names, 41 of which are newly synonymized herein. Thirteen species names are deemed unavailable or invalid under the rules of zoological nomenclature, and six names are considered as nomina dubia or nomina inquirenda, notably including the oldest name, Patella laciniosa, which was widely used previously. In addition, we describe 40 new species. We have identified eleven species with broad distributions in the IWP and beyond and four species with more limited distributions than previously accepted. Notably, many species have narrow ranges, some being single island endemics. To stabilize taxonomic names, we have designated neotypes for seven species (Siphonaria sipho Sowerby I, 1823, Patella japonica Donovan, 1824, S. obliquata Sowerby I, 1825, Pileopsis radiata Blainville, 1826, S. radians H. Adams & A. Adams, 1855, S. incerta Deshayes, 1863, and S. tasmanica Tenison Woods, 1877) and lectotypes for 25 species (Patella javanica Lamarck, 1819, S. albicante Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. atra Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. capensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. denticulata Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. diemenensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. guamensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. plana Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. plicata Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. punctata Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. viridis Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. savignyi Krauss, 1848, S. cancer Reeve, 1856, S. bifurcata Reeve, 1856, S. funiculata Reeve, 1856, S. kurracheensis Reeve, 1856, S. lirata Reeve, 1856, S. scabra Reeve, 1856, S. belcheri Hanley, 1858, S. nuttallii Hanley, 1858, S. nigerrima Smith, 1903, S. madagascariensis Odhner, 1919, S. alba Hubendick, 1943, M. lentulus Iredale, 1940, H. monticulus Iredale, 1940 and M. oppositus Iredale, 1940).

Article 74.7.3 of the Code continues to destabilise zoological nomenclature: repeated lectotypification of Lemmus obensis bungei (Rodentia: Cricetidae)

In 2023, B. Kryštufek and G.I. Shenbrot published a paper in which they proposed to consider invalid 20 lectotype designations based on the specimens in the collection of mammals at the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St Petersburg). They also designated a lectotype for Lemmus obensis bungei Vinogradov, 1926. We argue that the authors’ decision was based on an incorrect interpretation of Article 74.7.3 and some other Articles and Recommendations of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. The history of Article 74.7.3 is briefly reviewed to highlight its destabilising nature and to draw attention to this within the zootaxonomic community.

A new species of Choleoeimeria (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the invasive curious skink, Carlia ailanpalai (Sauria: Scincidae) from Guam, U.S. Territory.

The curious skink, Carlia ailanpalai Zug, occurs in the main group of the Admiralty Islands of Papua New Guinea but has also successfully invaded Guam, the Marianas, Yap, and Kosrae. A single coccidian, Eimeria zugi McAllister, Duszynski, Fisher, & Austin, 2013 was described from C. ailanpalai from Papua New Guinea. No additional coccidians are known from this host. Fourteen C. ailanpalai were collected from Cocos Island (Islan Dåno), Guam, U.S. Territory, and their feces examined for coccidians. A single skink (7%) was found to be passing oöcysts of a new species of Choleoeimeria. Oöcysts of Choleoeimeria cocosensis n. sp. are ellipsoidal to ovoidal with a bi-layered wall, measure (L × W) 21.1 × 12.9 µm, and have a length/width (L/W) ratio of 1.6; a micropyle and an oocyst residuum were absent but fragmented polar granule(s) was present. Sporocysts are ovoidal and measure 8.6 × 6.3 µm, L/W 1.4; Stieda, sub-Stieda, and para-Stieda bodies were absent. Sporocyst residuum was typically a loose aggregate of various-sized granules between and across the sporozoites but sometimes a dense irregular mass between and across the sporozoites. Sporozoites were elongate, with a centrally located nucleus and a large spheroidal to subspheroidal posterior refractile body, but without an anterior refractile body. The new species can be differentiated from all other choleoeimerians from skinks by possessing one of the smallest oöcysts known from the host family. We also provide an updated summation of the choleoeimerians from skinks of the world. This article was registered in the Official Register of Zoological Nomenclature (ZooBank) as urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6EFDF027-0A92-43C4-9AD0-E555252E7741.

Description of Peliococcus schmuttereri Caballero and Kaydan sp. n. from specimens of an invalid species, Spinococcus kozari Schmutterer, 2002 (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

ABSTRACT The description of a mealybug species found in Germany, Spinococcus kozari Schmutterer, 2002 (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha), is considered invalid because no type material or depository were specified in the original literature. Here a valid description of the same species is provided under the name Peliococcus schmuttereri Caballero and Kaydan sp. n. following the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. The species is redescribed, with a taxonomic illustration and microphotographs, an updated taxonomic key is provided, and type material and a depository are designated. With this record, the number of species of Peliococcus Borchsenius, 1948 is increased to 37 worldwide and the number of Peliococcus species present in Germany is increased to two, the second species being Peliococcus calluneti (Lindinger, 1912). http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:875561CB-E514-4084-8F7A-AF36A3C24D53

History Extended: Migration of Systema Dipterorum into TaxonWorks

Now 40-year old, Systema Dipterorum was originally created in a FileMaker™ database by F.C. Thompson and is currently maintained by N.L. Evenhuis and T. Pape (Evenhuis and Pape 2024a). Recent conversations as to its future led to an effort to transition Systema Dipterorum into TaxonWorks. A web-based platform tailored to the requirements of biodiversity-informatics scientists, TaxonWorks meets the evolving needs of Systema Dipterorum. TaxonWorks provides tools designed to facilitate data migration, management, validation, and packaging for exports, such as Darwin Core-Archives (DwC-A) and Catalogue of Life Data Package (CoL-DP) formats. While TaxonWorks offers batch upload functionality, the intricate nature of the Systema Dipterorum database necessitated specialized handling, i.e., a custom migration script. A TaxonWorks version of Systema Dipterorum is now accessible for preview and validation. This preview is particularly valuable for nomenclature validation, as TaxonWorks includes many tools ensuring compliance with the rules of Zoological Nomenclature (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1999). Additionally, this preview version now directly feeds the pipeline serving Systema Dipterorum to the Catalogue of Life. By migrating Systema Dipterorum into TaxonWorks, a wide range of utilities expanding the decades of effort behind the data are unlocked. TaxonWorks enables the creation of paper-style catalogs and the sharing of data via its public interface, TaxonPages. A test version of Systema Dipterorum stored in TaxonWorks and rendered with TaxonPages is now available on-line (Evenhuis and Pape 2024b). The data are also accessible via a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) API, enabling computing (e.g., scripted synonymy queries) against the TaxonWorks dataset. Complexity and diversity of the data are illustrated in Fig. 1. While many technical hurdles are resolved, major challenges remain in building a new community around Systema Dipterorum, one that will collectively take over the efforts of the few curators who have worked for so long on this broadly used resource.

The correct original spelling of the specific name of Guerrerostrongylus zeta (Travassos, 1937) (Nematoda, Heligmonellidae), parasitic in South American rodents.

In 1937, Travassos described a new species of nematode in the genus Longistriata Schulz, 1926. He referred to it seven times as L. zetta in the main text, but also five times as L. zeta in the figure legends. This nominal species is currently assigned to the genus Guerrerostrongylus Sutton and Durette-Desset, 1991. The complete bibliography referring to this species from 1937 to date comprises only 22 works. Although the spelling 'zetta'has prevailed since 2011, the correct original spelling of its specific name remains unsettled. Acting as First Revisers under Articles 24.2.3 and 32.2.1 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, we hereby choose 'zeta' as the correct original spelling of the specific name of this nematode, thus rendering 'zetta' an unavailable incorrect spelling. In making this choice, we have taken into account Travassos' obvious intention to name the species after the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet and the longer use of the spelling 'zeta' in the relevant literature, especially in those works in which 'zeta' (never 'zetta') was first combined with other generic names. We believe that standardizing the use of the spelling 'zeta' as the correct original spelling is the best way to stabilize this name.

Medvedevittella nom. nov., a replacement for Gressittella Medvedev, 2009 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

The genus Gressittella belonging to the subfamily Eumolpinae Hope, 1840 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), was established by Medvedev (2009), however, the name Gressittella Medvedev, 2009, is preoccupied by a leafhopper genus of the tribe Penthimiini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) based on the type species Gressittella bella Evans, 1972. Thus, following article 60 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN, 1999), Medvedevittella nom. nov., a new replacement name for the genus Gressittella Medvedev, 2009 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is proposed, and this results in four new combinations: Medvedevittella riedeli (Medvedev, 2009) comb. nov., Medvedevittella obscura (Medvedev, 2009) comb. nov., Medvedevittella laevis (Medvedev, 2009) comb. nov. and Medvedevittella foveipennis (Bryant, 1950) comb. nov., for the species currently included in this genus.

How not to describe a species: lessons from a tangle of anacondas (Boidae: Eunectes Wagler, 1830)

Abstract A recent revision of the anacondas (Serpentes: Boidae: Eunectes), with the description of a new species of green anaconda, generated extensive publicity, but also provoked considerable controversy due to inadequacies of the evidence used and errors in nomenclature. We here use the case of this problematic publication to: (i) highlight common issues affecting species delimitations, especially an over-reliance on mitochondrial DNA data, and reiterate best practices; (ii) reanalyse the data available for anacondas to establish the true current state of knowledge and to highlight lines of further research; and (iii) analyse the nomenclatural history and status of the genus. While our analysis reveals significant morphological variation in both green and yellow anacondas, denser sampling and an analysis of informative nuclear markers are required for meaningful species delimitation in Eunectes. Tracing the history of name-bearing types establishes Trinidad as the type locality for Boa murina Linnaeus, 1758 and allows identification of the extant lectotype for the species. Finally, we emphasize the responsibility of both journals and authors to ensure that published taxonomic work meets the burden of evidence required to substantiate new species descriptions and that species are named in compliance with the rules of zoological nomenclature.

The discovery and naming of the Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) after 1793, with details of the Rhinoceros Sumatricus of Bertuch (1805) and Wilhelm (1808)

There was a considerable gap of 21 years between the illustrated description of a specimen of the Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) by William Bell in 1793 and the proposal to accept it as a named new species by Gotthelf Fischer in 1814. In the meantime some 17 authors reported the possibility that the animal should be regarded as a new species. Hitherto overlooked, the German writer Friedrich Justin Bertuch used a new name in the caption to a reproduction of Bell’s plate, as Rhinoceros bicornis Sumatricus. This was published in 1805 in a second edition of his “Bilderbuch für Kinder”, a serial magazine aimed at young people. This work has an extremely complex bibliography through many re-issues and translations, which is only partly resolved. The same name in the combination Rhinoceros Sumatricus was included by Gottlieb Tobias Wilhelm in a companion to the “Bilderbuch” available in 1808. The complicated circumstances of Bertuch’s proposal in 1805 and his unusual usage of a trinomen lead to the suggestion that his book might not be consistently binominal, making the name unavailable. The naming by Wilhelm in 1808 is straightforward and correct, hence Rhinoceros sumatricus Wilhelm, 1808 is an available name and a senior objective synonym of Rhinoceros sumatrensis G. Fischer, 1814. The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature allows the suggestion that Wilhelm’s name was a nomen oblitum (forgotten name). The various plates of the rhinoceros found in the “Bilderbuch” by Bertuch and the “Unterhaltungen aus der Naturgeschichte” are figured and explained.

Protected taxonomic status and lectotype designation for Holochila albosericea Miskin, 1891 (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

The well-known Australian lycaenid butterfly, Candalides albosericea (Miskin, 1891), is a junior subjective synonym of Holochila caeruleolactea T.P. Lucas, 1891, which has not been used as a valid name after 1899. To protect the stability of the younger, but widely used name, the older and virtually unknown Holochila caeruleolactea (i.e., the senior subjective synonym) is suppressed under Article 23.9.2 of the Fourth Edition of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. By this action, Holochila albosericea Miskin, 1891 becomes a nomen protectum and Holochila caeruleolactea T.P. Lucas, 1891 a nomen oblitum. Lectotypes are designated for Holochila albosericea Miskin, 1891 and Holochila caeruleolactea T.P. Lucas, 1891, respectively.

Integrative taxonomic revision of the African thicket rats (Murinae: Grammomys): how genomics decreases the number of currently recognized species

Abstract Thicket rats of the genus Grammomys are partly arboreal rodents distributed across a large part of sub-Saharan Africa. Previous work showed that their highest diversity is in forests and woodlands of Eastern Africa, that the evolutionary history of the genus roughly mirrors the evolution of African forests, and that the currently delimited species (names) do not correspond to major genetic clades. We used thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms to perform phylogenomic analysis and to delimit genomic pools (i.e. candidate biological species). The resulting molecular operational taxonomic units were then compared with the most comprehensive sets of other available data (mitochondrial DNA variability, ecological requirements, morphology, karyotypes, sequences from the type material, etc.) and used for an integrative solution to the taxonomy of the genus. Our revision delimited seven species, which is less than the 12 recognized in the most recent literature on African rodents. We conclude that the African thicket rats represent a classic example of challenging problems in current integrative taxonomy. It is now relatively easy to obtain genomic data and to delimit candidate species, but it is much more complicated to give them species names using the valid rules of zoological nomenclature.

Myxobolus acanthogobii Hoshina, 1952 and Myxobolus selari n. sp. (Myxosporea: Myxobolidae) infecting brain of commercial fishes in Terengganu, Malaysia.

Myxosporean infection in marine water fishes has drawn less attention than in freshwater fishes, which resulted in a higher taxonomic variety in freshwater in Malaysia. This study aimed to address the gap by conducting a myxosporean survey on two commercially significant marine fish species, Nemipterus furcosus (Valenciennes) (Eupercaria incertae sedis: Nemipteridae) and Selar crumenophthalmus (Bloch) (Carangiformes: Carangidae), collected from the northeastern part of peninsular Malaysia. During the examination of the organs, two distinct Myxobolus Bütschli, 1882 species were discovered in the brain tissue of these fishes, despite the absence of any observable pathological signs. The two Myxobolus species were characterized through morphometry, morphology, and analysis of partial small subunit ribosomal RNA (18S rDNA) gene. As a result, Myxobolus acanthogobii Hoshina, 1952, which infects 2.3% of N. furcosus, is synonymous with a myxobolid species commonly found in Japanese waters, based on its morphological traits, tissue tropism, and molecular diagnostics. Furthermore, a novel species, Myxobolus selari n. sp., was described, infecting the brain of one (11%) individual S. crumenophthalmus. This unique species displayed distinctive features, placing it within a well-supported subclade primarily comprising brain-infecting myxobolids. Maximum likelihood analysis further revealed the close relationships among these brain-infecting myxobolids, underscoring the significance of tissue tropism and host taxonomy for myxobolids. This study represents the initial documentation of Myxobolus species within the southern South China Sea, shedding light on the potential diversity of marine myxosporean in this region. This article was registered in the Official Register of Zoological Nomenclature (ZooBank) as urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7C400E35-7CB8-4DEE-92B7-F75FF3926441.

How to describe a new species in zoology and avoid mistakes

Abstract Taxonomy is the science of discovering, naming, describing, diagnosing, identifying, and classifying different kinds of taxa, from species to families. It lays the foundation for all of the biological sciences. The rapid increase in both taxonomic descriptions and malpractice in recent decades indicates a need for consistency in the procedure and quality of taxonomic research publications dealing with recognition of new taxa, name changes, and nomenclatural acts. Indeed, there are numerous examples in the recent literature of taxonomic works that fall short of the basic procedures and minimum standards required for naming new species according to the mandatory provisions and recommendations of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, accepted standards of taxonomic best practice, and journal editorial policy. Here, we provide practical guidelines of the procedure and key elements required to name, describe, and publish a new animal species or revise the taxonomic status of a species. We then discuss some of the common pitfalls that should be avoided. Mistakes commonly made include failure to read the Code, to review the primary taxonomic literature, to examine type material, to construct the taxon name correctly, to explicitly establish the new taxon, to provide adequate typification, to clearly differentiate the new taxon, to register the publication of the new taxon name in ZooBank, or to publish the name of the new taxon in a manner that is compliant with the Code. We provide some examples of these mistakes, mainly from butterflies (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) and, to some extent, reptiles because these taxon groups seem to have an unusually high level of poor taxonomic practice.

An integrative taxonomic revision of the Trimeresurus popeiorum group of pitvipers (Reptilia: Serpentes: Viperidae) with descriptions of two new species from the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot

Abstract Despite recent progress in our understanding of diversity within the genus Trimeresurus Lacépède, 1804, the subgenus Popeia Malhotra & Thorpe, 2004, distributed across most parts of East and Southeast Asia, remains taxonomically challenging. We applied an integrative taxonomic approach including analyses of morphological data and four mitochondrial genes (12S and 16S rRNA, cytochrome b, and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4), along with examination of available type material, to address longstanding taxonomic questions in one clade within Popeia, the T. popeiorum group, and reveal a high level of hidden diversity of these snakes in the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot. We confirm that T. popeiorum Smith, 1937 sensu stricto is restricted to Northeast India, eastern Nepal, southern Bhutan, southeastern Bangladesh, western Yunnan Province (China), and northern and southwestern Myanmar. We further confirm that the recently described species T. yingjiangensis Chen et al., 2019 is a junior synonym of T. popeiorum. In addition, we discovered that the combination Trimesurus [sic] elegans Gray, 1853 is a valid senior synonym of T. popeiorum and threatens the stability of the latter taxon. Therefore, in order to protect the nomen popeiorum and in accordance with Article 23.9 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, we regard the taxon Trimesurus elegans as a nomen oblitum and render Trimeresurus popeiorum a nomen protectum. Examination of a larger series of specimens allows us to describe two new cryptic species of Trimeresurus from the Indo-Burma Region. This study brings the total number of species in the subgenus Popeia to six and also suggests that the subspecific taxonomy of the T. sabahi complex requires further investigation. We urge adequate actions regarding the conservation of the newly discovered species and recommend further studies on their toxicology.

Form-classification for microbially induced sedimentary structures

Various ichnotaxonomic names have been proposed for microbially influenced sedimentary structures, but despite the historically broad scope of ichnotaxa allowed by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, recent opinion rejects these names for the Zoological Code. Nevertheless, such names are allowed by generous provisions for fossil genera (previously form genera) in the International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi and Plants. Fossil genera, such as Neantia, Rameshia and Rugalichnus, describe various undulose and striated textures of aquatic microbial mats. In contrast, the complex hackly, fissured and microtuffeted surfaces widely called ‘old elephant skin’ texture have been assigned to Rivularites repertus. The type specimen of that species has been lost since bombardment of Nancy in 1914. The locality exposing the Upper Triassic (Carnian), Grès à Roseaux Member of the Keuper Formation at Gemmelaincourt, France, is an abandoned coal mine, but has waste piles still available for collecting. This study describes a proposed neotype of the ichnospecies, and other fossils relevant to its environmental interpretation. The neotype of Rivularites came from coal measures with interbedded evaporites of a coastal plain, and is a non-marine texture as apparent from evidence of alternate desiccation, intergrowth and healing. Gregory J. Retallack [ gregr@uoregon.edu ], Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon. Eugene, OR 97403, USA

The Power and Performativity of Naming

In 1906, the Mikado pheasant, an endemic bird of Taiwan, was discovered as a new species by a British collector. As the creation of this new species was based solely on the examination of tail feathers, it generated excitement among ornithologists and aviculturists, sparking a series of expeditions to collect complete specimens. By following the trajectory of these endeavors and subsequent attempts to reclassify, propagate, and protect the bird, this article explores the power and performativity of scientific naming in both global and colonial contexts. The act of writing and publishing a species description is performative in that it creates a new species by assigning a scientific name that allows it to gain recognition within the scientific community and beyond. It also served to create and maintain the ornithological community—the idealized virtual community of ornithologists, bird collectors, and aviculturists. The history of the Mikado pheasant is part of a larger scientific effort to establish the comprehensive knowledge of the family Phasianidae, which motivated aspiring Japanese ornithologists to exert their acquired knowledge over the avifauna of the Japanese empire. These processes interacted during a time when zoological nomenclature was becoming accessible to non-Western zoologists. The discovery of the Mikado pheasant was the result of a colonial enterprise involving the British and Japanese empires, which converged on the interior of Taiwan and involved the Indigenous people who had settled in the mountain regions. The enduring legacy of the Mikado pheasant’s naming still resonates today.

The return of the forgotten: redescription and new data on the distribution of Acnemia sibirica Ostroverkhova, 1979 (Diptera: Mycetophilidae)

The description of Acnemia sibirica was published by G.P. Ostroverkhova in her 1979 monograph. The species, however, was mistakenly given as it had been described in 1978. Moreover, it was not explicitly indicated as a new species (except in the legend for the figure of male terminalia), and type specimens were not designated. Evidently, due to confusion with the original description, the species was not mentioned in the recent literature and was not included in the online taxonomic databases. Anyway, the name complies with the availability criteria according to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, and hence the species should be treated as Acnemia sibirica Ostroverkhova, 1979. The identity of the species can be reliably established based on the original figures by G.P. Ostroverkhova and on preserved slides. The species is here redescribed, and illustrations of the male terminalia for both type and new specimens are provided. Lectotype and paralectotypes are designated. New data on species’ distribution are reported.

On the validity of the recently described northern green anaconda Eunectes akayima (Squamata, Serpentes)

Recently, a taxonomic work was published concerning the existence of a new cryptic species of green anaconda. The authors justified the recognition of a phylogenetic lineage as a new species, which they named Eunectes akayima, based on genetic and geographical distribution differences. Regardless of whether the evidence provided to justify the recognition of this new species is sufficient, the article in question violates fundamental aspects of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, such as the principle of priority and the rules for the designation lectotypes. Furthermore, the authors make unjustified assumptions regarding the type locality of Eunectes murinus, compromising the integrity of their nomenclatural actions. Here, we present a critique of this work grounded in the application of the rules of zoological nomenclature, leading to the synonymizing of the recently described species.

Nomenclatural problems raised by the recent description of a new anaconda species (Squamata, Serpentes, Boidae), with a nomenclatural review of the genus Eunectes

A recent paper proposing taxonomic changes in the South American snake genus Eunectes Wagler, 1830 (anacondas) is analysed. This paper raises an unusually high number of taxonomic and nomenclatural problems. The work does not rely on an explicit species concept, the analysis of the molecular data based on three mitochondrial genes is shown to be unreliable, and the validity of the ‘clades’ proposed in this work is questioned. The nomen proposed for a purported new species is a nomen nudum (nomenclaturally unavailable), and the designation of a ‘lectotype’ for the nominal species Eunectes murinus (Linnaeus, 1758) is invalid. We provide a review of the nomenclatural status of 18 nominal species (including four unavailable ones) once or still now referred to the genus Eunectes, we identify their ‘types’ (nomen-bearing specimens), we designate five lectotypes, which are all specimens figured and briefly described in ancient publications, and we explain the rationale behind this action, which will allow the subsequent designation as neotypes of recently collected specimens associated with precise type localities and molecular data. We show that the generic nomen Eunectes Wagler, 1830 does not apply to the taxonomic genus accommodating anacondas but, this nomen having been used for these giant and spectacular snakes for about 200 years and being well-known even outside the field of taxonomy, we argue that its traditional use should be maintained through an action of the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature using its plenary power. Finally, we provide various recommendations regarding nomenclatural actions and publications presenting them.