The importance of appropriate taxonomy in Australian mammalogy

Abstract

The use of correct taxonomy to describe and name the earth’s biodiversity is fundamental to conservation and management. However, there are issues that need to be overcome to ensure that the described taxa and their scientific names are both appropriate and widely adopted. Obstacles to this include the use of different species definitions, taxonomic instability due to accumulation of additional specimens in analyses and the progression of science that allows better resolution of species boundaries, and the inappropriate description and naming of new taxa without adequate scientific basis in self-published journals (known as ‘taxonomic vandalism’). In an effort to manage taxonomic instability, the Australasian Mammal Taxonomy Consortium (AMTC), an affiliated body of the Australian Mammal Society, has developed several tools that include: (1) a standardised list of Australian mammal common and scientific names; (2) recommendations for information that should be included in published species descriptions; and (3) support for the publication of aspidonyms (i.e. a scientifically acceptable name proposed to overwrite a pre-existing unscientific name). This review discusses these issues, reaffirms the foundations for appropriate taxonomic research, and provides guidelines for those publishing taxonomic research on Australian mammals.

Reassessment of the subspecific status of the Australian Wet Tropics yellow-bellied glider, Petaurus australis

“…Following the recommendations of Kaiser et al (2013) and Jackson et al (2022) and the position adopted by Taxonomy Australia (2021, downloaded from www.taxonomyaustralia. org.au/codes-of-conduct) we consider previous names proposed for yellow-bellied glider (Wet Tropics) to be unscientific and unavailable.…”

Conservation genetics of Sclerocactus in Colorado: the importance of accurate taxonomy to conservation

“…Although considerable debate exists around how best to allocate conservation resources (Bottrill et al, 2008;Wilson and Law, 2016;Wiedenfeld et al, 2021), there is widespread acceptance that there is not enough funding dedicated to conservation activities (Gerber, 2016;Buxton et al, 2020). An area where research can aid in conservation decision making when resources are scarce is by assessing the taxonomic status of species of concern (Haig et al, 2016;Morrison et al, 2009;Thomson et al, 2018;Jackson et al, 2022). Multiple examples exist of conservation funding not being directed toward evolutionary distinct lineages that warrant conservation priority that have not been formally recognized as distinct species (e.g., Malaney et al, 2017;Gippoliti et al, 2018;Melville et al, 2021).…”