Chapter 16: Types in the Species Group


Article 76. Type locality.

76.1. Definition. The type locality of a nominal species-group taxon is the geographical (and, where relevant, stratigraphical) place of capture, collection or observation of the name-bearing type; if there are syntypes and no lectotype has been designated, the type locality encompasses the localities of all of them [Art. 73.2.3].

Recommendation 76A. Type localities.

76.2. Type locality determined by the lectotype. The place of origin of the lectotype becomes the type locality of the nominal species-group taxon, despite any previously published statement of the type locality (see Recommendation 74E).

76.3. Type locality determined by the neotype. The place of origin of the neotype becomes the type locality of the nominal species-group taxon, despite any previously published statement of the type locality.


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Markup
FranciscoWelterSchultes   Recommendation 76A.1.4. is misunderstood by taxonomists and should be clarified.

Perhaps an additional Article 76.1.2 would help:
""Restricting" a type locality is not possible if the available information on the place of capture, collection or observation of the name-bearing type does not allow to provide sufficiently detailed information."

This would be very useful because taxonomists repeatedly believe that they can "restrict" a type locality if they have no type material or if there were no records from where the name-bearing types was collected.

Example: Holyoak & Holyoak 2012 (Iberus 30 (1): 31) intended to "restrict" the type locality of the gastropod Helix barbula Rossmässler, 1838 to an exactly determined locality in Portugal although all available original information on the lectotype was that it came from Portugal, and the currently known distribution of the species comprises an area extending 50 x 200 km.
The type locality under Art. 76.1 must be identified with this area, and not with the restricted locality because the authors could not provide evidence that the lectotype came from there.
2012-04-24 16:02:28