>I have also seen the question mark placed between the genus and the species
>names. I suppose in that case it implies that the placement of the organism
>in the indicated genus is questionable.
 
Sometimes it's ambiguous what such a question mark means.
Does "Conus ? marmoreus" mean "Conus? marmoreus" or "Conus ?marmoreus"?
I prefer the question mark to be placed in front of the genus to express
uncertainty about the generic placement, which is unambiguous: ?Conus
marmoreus.
 
Personally, I don't see much point in expressing uncertainty about the genus
in the name itself. Suppose someone names a new species, ?Conus incertus. It
was still named in the genus Conus, despite the question mark, it's just
more awkward to cite. And most species are going to have changes in their
generic placement eventually. So I'd rather just commit myself to a
particular genus, and express uncertainty in associated comments or discussion.
 
There are times when the genus currently used for a species is known to be
inappropriate, but there is no good alternative. In such cases, the genus
name can be placed in quotation marks.
 
Gary
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Gary Rosenberg, Ph.D.                     [log in to unmask]
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