Legitimacy / Availability and Validity tabs

Additional information about the status of names for a taxon can be provided with the Legitimacy (ICBN) or Availability (ICZN) tab in conjunction with the Validity tab. Together these two tabs document the process by which the right name for a taxon is determined:

  • The Legitimacy tab is intended for botanical nomenclature.
  • The Availability tab is intended for zoological nomenclature.

The rules for determining Legitimacy / Illegitimacy of a name are laid down in the ICBN and ICZN Codes of nomenclature. A scientific name is considered to be Legitimate / Available only if it conforms to the provisions of the appropriate Code. Several names may be proposed for a single taxon of which some will be considered Available / Legitimate and others will be deemed Unavailable / Illegitimate according to the Code.

Of the various Available / Legitimate names however, only one name can be considered Valid. The Valid name is the accepted name of the taxon. The Validity / Invalidity of a name is recorded on the Validity tab.

The Legitimacy tab is used to record additional information about the status of names of a botanical taxon. The legitimacy of a name is thus determined according to the rules of the ICBN, and a scientific name is considered to be Legitimate only if it conforms to the provisions of the ICBN. Several names may be proposed for a single taxon of which some will be considered Legitimate and others will be deemed Illegitimate according to the Code:

Legitimacy

  1. Select a status from the Name status drop list. Options include:
    • Legitimate
    • Illegitimate
    • Unknown
  2. Select an attribute from the Name status attribute drop list:

    Name status attribute

  3. In the Name status documentation fields:
    1. Select a value from the Reason drop list:

      Reason

    2. Attach the record of a reference document in the Bibliography module to the Reference: (Name status documentation) field.
    3. Attach the appropriate Taxonomy records to the Competing homonym and Correct name fields.
    4. Attach a Parties record to the Comments by field and add a date to the Date commented field.
  4. Click the last row in the Name status documentation list table to add another Reason, Reference and other details if required.

The Availability tab is used to record additional information about the status of names of a zoological taxon. The availability of a name is thus determined according to the rules of the ICZN, and a scientific name is considered to be Available only if it conforms to the provisions of the ICZN. Several names may be proposed for a single taxon of which some will be considered Available and others will be deemed Unavailable according to the Code:

Availability

  1. Select a status from the Name status drop list. Options include:
    • Available
    • Unavailable
    • Unknown
  2. Select an attribute from the Name status attribute drop list.
  3. In the Name status documentation fields:
    1. Select a value from the Reason Lookup List:

      Reason

    2. Attach the record of a reference document in the Bibliography module to the Reference: (Name status documentation) field.
    3. Attach the appropriate Taxonomy records to the Correct name field.
    4. Attach a Parties record to the Comments by field and add a date to the Date commented field.
  4. Click the last row in the Name status documentation list table to add another Reason, Reference and other details if required.

The Validity tab is identical for botanical and zoological names:

Validity

  1. Select a status from the Name status drop list. Options include:
    • Valid
    • Invalid
    • Unknown
  2. Select an attribute from the Name status attribute drop list:

    Options for botanical names are:

    Name status attribute

    Options for zoological names are:

    Name status attribute

  3. In the Name status documentation fields:
    1. Select a value from the Reason drop list.
    2. Attach the record of a reference document in the Bibliography module to the Reference: (Name status documentation) field.
    3. Attach the appropriate Taxonomy records to the Correct name field.
    4. Attach a Parties record to the Comments by field and add a date to the Date commented field.
  4. Click the last row in the Name status (Validity) table to add another Reason, Reference and other details if required.