6 research outputs found
The lectotype for the Asian elephant, Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758 (Mammalia, Proboscidea) and comments on âprimary, secondary and tertiary syntypesâ and âvirtual lectotype designationâ
Last November a group of colleagues and ourselves designated a lectotype for the
Asian elephant, Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758, having used morphology and
genetic and proteomic sequencing to confirm that Linnaeusâs syntypes included both
Asian and African elephants. The article was published (Cappellini et al., 2013)
online in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, together with eight items of
Supplementary Information, and appeared on paper in the ZJLS in January 2014.
The paper and SI items are available online at DOI:10.1111/zoj.12084.
The lectotype is a very nearly complete mounted skeleton on display in the Natural
History Museum of the University of Florence. John Ray described the specimen in
1673 and 1693 and Linnaeus cited Rayâs 1693 publication. The lectotype designation
is available and valid. Dubois, Nemésio & Bour, however, have criticised our choice
of selected specimen (published in Bionomina, June 2014; a preview is available online
at http://mapress.com/bionomina/content.htm). We are concerned because they have
demonstrated misunderstanding or ignorance of a number of aspects of the
International Code of Zoological Nomenclatur
Resolution of the type material of the Asian elephant, Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758 (Proboscidea, Elephantidae)
The understanding of Earthâs biodiversity depends critically on the accurate identification and nomenclature of
species. Many species were described centuries ago, and in a surprising number of cases their nomenclature or type
material remain unclear or inconsistent. A prime example is provided by Elephas maximus, one of the most iconic
and well-known mammalian species, described and named by Linnaeus (1758) and today designating the Asian
elephant. We used morphological, ancient DNA (aDNA), and high-throughput ancient proteomic analyses to
demonstrate that a widely discussed syntype specimen of E. maximus, a complete foetus preserved in ethanol, is
actually an African elephant, genus Loxodonta. We further discovered that an additional E. maximus syntype,
mentioned in a description by John Ray (1693) cited by Linnaeus, has been preserved as an almost complete skeleton
at the Natural History Museum of the University of Florence. Having confirmed its identity as an Asian elephant
through both morphological and ancient DNA analyses, we designate this specimen as the lectotype of E. maximus
Regnum Animale..., Ed. 2 (M.j. Brisson, 1762): Proposed Rejection, With The Conservation Of The Mammalian Generic Names Philander
Volume: 51Start Page: 135End Page: 14
Proposed Conservation Of Usage Of 15 Mammal Specific Names Based On Wild Species Which Are Antedated By Or Contemporary With Those Based On Domestic Animals
Volume: 53Start Page: 28End Page: 3