[Taxacom] Terminology of trinomials

[Andy Mabbett]

In message <477AD089.50108 at earthlink.net>, Curtis Clark
<jcclark-lists at earthlink.net> writes

>On 2008-01-01 08:12, Andy Mabbett wrote:
>> I don't think it practical to have separate microformats for each Code
>
>I don't think it's practical to have different comment delimiters for
>different programming languages and markups, but there you have it.

I'm afraid that the point of your remark escapes me.

>> (though I'm open to persuasion), so the thing to do is tease out the
>> common ground and find, by looking at examples of what is already
>> published (preferably on the web, as required by the microformats
>> "process"), ways of dealing with any exceptions.
>
>It seems to me that one purpose of a microformat is for people to
>actually use it. If it doesn't support all the infraspecific ranks of
>the Botanical Code, botanists won't use it. Even if the next
>International Botanical Congress managed to change the rules to collapse
>them all into subspecies, botanists still might not use it, because it
>wouldn't match historical data.

Indeed; that's why I'm endeavouring to make sure that all ranks - even
the archaic - are supported.

>> but that would require the name of the rank (in this example,
>> "subvarietas") to be published on the page.
>
>In the case of the Botanical Code, it is; e.g. Eschscholzia californica
>subsp. mexicana, Lesquerella engelmannii var. ovalifolia.

>Here is Article 24.1 of the ICBN, which shows that, whereas the name
>formally has only three parts, these categories may also be stacked:
>
>24.1. The name of an infraspecific taxon is a combination of the name of
>a species and an infraspecific epithet. A connecting term is used to
>denote the rank.
>
>Ex. 1. Saxifraga aizoon subf. surculosa Engl. & Irmsch. This taxon may
>also be referred to as Saxifraga aizoon var. aizoon subvar. brevifolia
>f. multicaulis subf. surculosa Engl. & Irmsch.; in this way a full
>classification of the subforma within the species is given, not only its
>name.

Either form will be catered for.

-- 
Andy Mabbett
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