New ICZN Code and gender agreement

[bh480@scn.org]

From: Ben Creisler bh480@scn.org
Subject: gender and the new ICZN rules

Prompted by George, I took another look at the new 4th 
edition of the ICZN. Unfortunately, some provisions and 
examples that provided clearer guidelines in the text 
portion of the 3rd edition have been dropped...BUT, 
reading through the introduction and glossary turns up 
some passages that indicate the intention was at least to 
make species in the form of adjectives match the gender 
assigned the genus.  The intro (pg. xxvi) states: "As in 
previous Codes, the present edition retains the 
requirement that Latin or latinized adjectival species-
group names must always agree in gender with the generic 
name with which they are combined."  Even though the only 
MANDATORY change in the Latin ending that is explicitly 
stated is in cases in which a species is combined with a 
different genus, I read the intro to mean that the Code 
still requires that a type species published with a wrong-
gender form be corrected, without changing the author. 
Such required corrections were more clearly spelled out in 
the text of the 3rd edition, but should still be 
implemented as in the past per the introduction.  This 
interpretation would seem to mean that the correction of 
Bambiraptor feinbergi to feinbergorum, even though not 
explicitly required as a mandatory change, is IMplicitly 
required by the Code. Hmmmmmmm. I guess George can go 
ahead and fix the ending. Sorry for being too much of a 
stickler on the TEXT itself, but I think I may write the 
ICZN just to get the point cleared up.  In practice, it 
must be said that such corrections are often ignored by 
authors, and the new Code seems to want to accommodate the 
hostility of some to old Latin rules. The rewording of the 
Code's text and the deletion of previous clear examples 
have the confusing effect (for me at least) of making it 
seems as if some basic provisions have been modified.