Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

Ceríaco, Luis M. P.; Gutiérrez, Eliécer E.; Dubois, Alain

doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4196.3.9

Cited by 67 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The unreported record from São Lourenço do Sul extends the distribution area of the species about 295 km from its The important role of specimens deposited in biological collections has been long debated through many different aspects of its importance (e.g., Patterson 2002;Vivo et al 2014;Brandão 2015;Ceríaco et al 2016). Our results reinforce the important role of scientific collections with continued maintenance, as the record presented here is from 1904, more than 100 years old.…”

Section: Notes On Geographic Distributionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Range extension of Lundomys molitor (Winge, 1887) (Mammalia: Rodentia: Cricetidae) to eastern Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

Brandão¹,

Fegies²

2017

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Section: Notes On Geographic Distributionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Range extension of Lundomys molitor (Winge, 1887) (Mammalia: Rodentia: Cricetidae) to eastern Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

Brandão¹,

Fegies²

2017

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“…Not surprisingly, the species has not been cited in the literature for a long time, and it has remained an enigma for ichthyologists. Recently, the description of a new species of Diptera (Marshall, Evenhuis, 2015) that designated a photo as the holotype has triggered the discussion of whether preserved specimens are needed for species descriptions (Amorim et al, 2016;Pape, 2016;Krell, 2016;Ceríaco et al, 2016). Deuterodon pedri provides a sound argument for the importance and utility of preserved types in this discussion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using ancient DNA to unravel taxonomic puzzles: the identity of Deuterodon pedri (Ostariophysi: Characidae)

Silva

Malabarba

2017

Neotrop. ichthyol.

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Accurate identification is essential for any study exploring biodiversity. Unfortunately, museum type specimens preserved for more than a hundred years are often not informative enough for precise identification of the species represented by the name-bearing type. The use of ancient DNA can help solve taxonomic problems when name-bearing types no longer have diagnostic morphological features that allow for an accurate identification of the species involved. That is the case for Deuterodon pedri, an endemic species from a small drainage in the rio Doce basin in Minas Gerais, Brazil, for which the type material is in poor condition. Specimens of D. pedri were collected in 1865 by the Thayer Expedition to Brazil and fixed in spirits, enabling them to yield viable DNA. As the morphology alone of the type material does not allow for an accurate identification, we used both morphological and ancient DNA (aDNA) methods to decisively establish the identity of D. pedri. This identification allowed us to recognize the species among recently collected specimens and then, based on them, redescribe the species. A genetype for the lectotype of D. pedri is presented.Keywords: Lectogenetype, Mini-Barcode, Primers, Rio Doce, Thayer Expedition.Uma identificação acurada é fundamental para qualquer estudo que explora a biodiversidade. Infelizmente, espécimes de museu descritos há mais de cem anos, algumas vezes não são informativos o suficiente para uma identificação precisa da espécie representada pelo tipo. O uso de DNA antigo pode ajudar a resolver problemas taxonômicos, quando espécimes tipos não apresentam mais as características morfológicas diagnósticas que permitem a identificação precisa das espécies. Esse é o caso de Deuterodon pedri, uma espécie endêmica de uma pequena drenagem na bacia do rio Doce, em Minas Gerais, Brasil cujo material tipo encontra-se em condições precárias. Espécimes de D. pedri foram coletados em 1865 pela Expedição Thayer ao Brasil e fixados em "cachaça", o que permite apresentar DNA viável. Como apenas o exame morfológico do material tipo não permitiria a identificação precisa, nós usamos ambos os dados de análises morfológicas e DNA antigo (aDNA) para estabelecer decisivamente a identidade de D. pedri. Esta identificação permitiu reconhecer a espécie entre exemplares coletados recentemente e, com base neles, redescrever a espécie. É apresentado um genetipo para o lectótipo de D. pedri.

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“…And very recently, it has been argued that species descriptions and taxonomic name availability should be possible using a foundation that is limited to digital pictures (Minteer et al 2014;Marshall & Evenhuis 2015). All these issues have provoked considerable controversies between two groups of scientists that could be tentatively grouped as modern versus old-fashioned scientists or as careless versus serious scientists, depending on which side the observer feels closest to (Rocha et al 2014;Pape 2016;Ceríaco et al 2016). However, even if all these contributions disagree on how to use virtual data, they all share a common opinion that this trend can be explained by the development of the digital techniques that make everything virtual, including scientific data.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

<strong>Loosing the connection between the observation and the specimen: a by-product of the digital era or a trend inherited from general biology?</strong>

Grandcolas

2017

Bionomina

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The original efforts of early naturalists are now placed in another context. Instead of adding lots of particulars to a catalogue of Life, the idea is now to contribute to an organized picture: comparative biology and general biology have merged. Systematics or the related sciences of Biodiversity employ a reasoning analogous to the one followed by early general biology when it separated from natural history and activities associated with collections in the early XX th century. There is a presumption one is already knowledgeable about laws or general patterns when studying biological processes or adding species: both contribute to the general picture. As a consequence of this state of mind, many authors do not feel the need for saving specimens. However, saving specimens is not only a way to keep records in a world which is still being discovered, it is also a very efficient way to store information and to allow one to return to the original specimens, thus generating additional data to answer other questions. We must be fully aware of both the rationale but also the present-day state of mind, in order to keep our motivation in the pursuit of an adequate sampling of Biodiversity.

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Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

Abstract: Zootaxa 4196 (3): [435][436][437][438][439][440][441][442][443][444][445]

Cited by 67 publications

References 10 publications

Range extension of Lundomys molitor (Winge, 1887) (Mammalia: Rodentia: Cricetidae) to eastern Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

Range extension of Lundomys molitor (Winge, 1887) (Mammalia: Rodentia: Cricetidae) to eastern Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

Using ancient DNA to unravel taxonomic puzzles: the identity of Deuterodon pedri (Ostariophysi: Characidae)

<strong>Loosing the connection between the observation and the specimen: a by-product of the digital era or a trend inherited from general biology?</strong>

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