To interested folks,

Just a quick correction.  The word is "syntype" and to have one you must have two or more.  A lectotype is by definition a former syntype and the other syntypes become paralectotypes.  There are many sorts of "types" but the primary ones (holotype, paratype, syntype, lectotype, and paralectotype) are the only ones that carry nomenclatural importance.  The others such as topotypes (a specimen collected at the original type locality and horizion if a fossil) are important from a systematic view.  There is, by the way, a huge difference between nomenclature, systematics, and taxonomy.  For those who are captivated by it, remember DNA is just another character.  It is the only one where authors regularly get away with a sample size of one.

Yours,



John K. Tucker
-----Original message-----
From: Wiggers [log in to unmask]
Date: Thu, 31 May 2007 21:16:08 -0500
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Holotypes & Paratypes

I guess the problem with Holotypes and Paratypes in private collections is that in time they sooner or later get lost. This creates a huge taxonomic problem because researchers can't compare their material with those used in describing the species. In time, the species tens to be placed in uncertain place as nobody is sure if the description was precise, and then the name tends to be forgotten (nomem oblitum - not used as valid in the last 50 years).

There are many examples of type material in private collections that can no longer be traced. Fortunatelly, some of this material end up in institutions, like the collections of Morch, Spengler, Lamarck and others. Peter Dance has a marvelous book on this matter called "A history of shell collecting".

I also guess that the main problem is that collectors rarely keep old labels and therefore destroy the possibility of tracing material from their collections. I hope John have kept this type material labels and one day he donates (or sells) this material to a institution.

And John, be very carefull when buying holotypes! Many times those specimens have been stolen from institutions! It has happend here in Brazil a few times and curators don't like to talk about it, but it happens.

Indeed a Holotype is the single specimen the author designate as so when describing a species. If he/she has used more speciemens in the description, those are Paratypes. If the author has not named any single specimen as Holotype all of them are Sintypes.

A Topotype has no taxonomic recognition, and is any specimen collected in the same type locality (locality where the holotype has been collected or localities where all the paratypes have been collected).

The term "type form" is used very widelly between orchid collectors (i am one of them) to express that the flower is of the same variety as the type, and not an variant. Is the therm type form used in the same sense?

Regards
Fabio W.


john abba <[log in to unmask]> escreveu: Dear Bill and Everyone,

  Good point, and I do apologize to all, for not, and would clarifying more on this, Bill. In my poind of view a:

  Holotypes : Would be the original specimen found, or specimen used in the Discription of which a " New Species " is made.

  Paratypes are specimen's deposited in museums.

  I am not too familar wiith Topotypes but a good guess would be species found in a specific area. I could be wrong on this, however, I did google up the name Topotypes and came up with Liguus blainianus Poey, 1851 Topotypes.

  Hypotypes are probaly as you stated. Probaly specimens in figured in books

  Coming back to my initial email --  I know of a few dealers & collector friends, a shell book writer/publisher,  who have named specimens, in the past, and I have bought their Holotypes off them, long after the specimen have been used in the discription process. ( Please, Bill and All, I rather not name these people as I don't have authorization from these people, to put their names on line..Please understand.  )    For a price..Not many, but I have collected a few Holotypes over the years and would be interested in more. Hard to come by.

  I hope this will clarify my initial email on me purchasing and collection Holotypes. Hard to come by, as its the specimen used in the  " Discription " of a new species. Usually donated to museums, but in the cases that I came across, kept and over time sold.

  Also I would like to  contact any collectors who collect  " Holotypes " and also a first in  " Form Types " Easier for " Form Types " as I uaually take the seller word for it or if he has a web site and it is shown.

  Cheer's

  John






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