Joshua,
A synonym is simply another name given to a species that has a name. When
someone names a species, say Nerita peloronta Linnaeus, 1758, if this was
the first time this species has been named and if the name has not
previously been used for another species in that genus (and other rules),
then this becomes the species name. If someone else then finds this same
species and gives it a new name, e.g. Nerita papilio Röding, 1798, this new
name is a junior synonym. It is another name for the same species and
because Linnaeus had already named the species in 1758, Röding's new name 40
years later in 1798 is junior. It could be that the second author was
unaware of the earlier name, or it might be that the specimen getting the
second name (junior synonym) looks different and is thought to be a new
species. The list of names you see below the species name are the synonyms
that have been used for that species. In the case of Nerita peloronta it
would look like:
Nerita peloronta Linnaeus, 1758
Nerita papilio Röding, 1798
Nerita virginea Röding, 1798 (non Linnaeus, 1758)
Nerita erythrodon Récluz, 1850
Nerita sanguidens Récluz, 1850
There is a ton of complexity to all of this, but I believe this covers the
very basics and answers your question. The valid name may not be the
earliest given to the species. If a name is invalid or unavailable, then
generally the next available name is applied to the species. Names
published before 1758 (the year of publication of the 10th edition of
Systema Naturae by Linnaeus) are invalid as scientific binominal (also
called binomial, but this more properly refers to numbers) naming starts
with Linnaeus. So all plants and animals are given a two-part name, genus
and species, usually written in italics and often containing the author and
date as a further means of identification. If the species has been
reassigned to a new genus, then the author and date are set off with
parentheses to indicate the original genus was different. There's lots
more, but I see I am running on and need to stop. Welcome to COA!!
Tom Eichhorst in New Mexico, USA
-----Original Message-----
From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
Joshua Mervis
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2007 4:17 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: synonyms
Hi everyone - I am a new member of the COA and this is my first post. I
have a simple and bit of embarrassing question. When synonyms are listed
for a shell, what exactly does this mean? Are the two terms
interchangeable, or does each name represent a distinct species? Thanks so
much for your help
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