[Taxacom] Vouchering and CBOL

[Mario Blanco]

The arguments expressed by Richard Zander are valid, but they are 
critical of delimiting taxa based on genetic barcoding data, not of 
vouchering itself.  Vouchering should be done (whenever feasible) for 
all kinds of biological research (ecological, caryological, pollination 
studies, etc., even barcoding!). There is an awful lot of plant 
chromosome number records for which there is no corresponding voucher; 
therefore, nobody can corroborate their taxonomic correct taxonomic 
correctness. More disturbingly, the same problem appears here and there 
for phylogenetic studies, which by default have nomenclatural 
implications.  Vouchers provide accountability for taxonomic determinations.

Mario A. Blanco
Department of Botany
University of Florida
220 Bartram Hall
Gainesville, FL 32611-8526
U.S.A.