andrew polaszek executive secretary, iczn, c/o natural history museum, london uk iczn@nhm.ac.uk ...

Andrew Polaszek

Executive SecretaryExecutive Secretary, , ICZN, c/o Natural History Museum, ICZN, c/o Natural History Museum, London UK London UK iczn@nhm.ac.uk www.iczn.org www.zoobank.org

ZZOOOOBBANK ANK – – THE OPEN-ACCESS ANIMAL NAMES’ REGISTRY -THE OPEN-ACCESS ANIMAL NAMES’ REGISTRY -Working with CBOL towards the New TaxonomyWorking with CBOL towards the New Taxonomy

Andrew Polaszek

Executive SecretaryExecutive Secretary, , ICZN, c/o Natural History Museum, ICZN, c/o Natural History Museum, London UK London UK iczn@nhm.ac.uk www.iczn.org www.zoobank.orgiczn@nhm.ac.uk www.iczn.org www.zoobank.org

ZooBank – the concept

• An open-access register for all scientific names of animals

• Formally proposed: Nature 437: 477 (22 September 2005)

• Initiated online (www.zoobank.org) August 2006

• Rapid description of biodiversity facilitated

• Similarities to the Genbank Accession Number system

• Taxonomists as ZooBank builders and primary stakeholders

The ICZN Code and type specimens• Under present Code – no absolute requirement for type specimens

• Surrogates are permitted (e.g. images, including sequences or trace files), where type specimens are “illegal, unethical or impossible” under Code Article 73.1.4

But does this promote nomenclatural stability?

Amendments to the ICZN Code facilitating barcoding and web taxonomy

• “Principle of Typification” is central to the Code (Article 61.1)

• Type specimen (HOLOTYPE where possible) is the objective link between the name and the taxonomic concept

• Where possible, that type specimen should be a whole animal from which morphological and molecular data can be (re-)examined and reassessed

• Exceptions (no type specimens) could be ratified by the Commission

• Web-only publication must be permitted if registered with ZooBank

• CBOL – the Consortium for the Barcode of Life

• Academia Sinica

• Natural History Museum, London

• Bishop Museum, Hawaii

• Thomson Scientific / Zoological Record

• GBIF & TDWG

• The Commissioners & Trustees of ICZN / ITZN

THANKS TO: