If one has to describe a new species and he has multiple specimens one of them would be the holotype. Should he/she describe the new species based on the holotype or write a description that encapsulates all the variation present at that time in all the available specimens?
Dear Sayed,
The description should not only be based on the holotype but all other specimens cited in the protologue i.e. isotypes and paratypes as well.
Let me explain you the situation. Suppose someone has designated a flowering specimen as the holotype and its duplicate as isotype. A months later he collected a fruiting specimen and cited it as the paratype in the protologue. It is logical that the description of the fruiting specimen will also be included in the protologue.
Hope this helps.
Subir.
the description should be based on all available specimens to record all sort of variation and range of characters. if someone is describing a new species he should examine all the specimens available at that time for that particular species and base species description on all specimens
Dear Sayed,
Your question is very logical and Subir da (Dr. Subir Bandyopadhyay) well explained the matter in this regard I just would like to add some lines, here I cite the example of Euphorbia hirta this taxon shows peculiar growth habit in different ecological condition for example when this taxon grows in the road side it shows a patchy growth habit but the same taxon when grows in the rice field it shows an erect growth habit. now consider if a worker collected two species from two different ecological condition and did not mentioned the range of character then what happen - in future if any body examine the sheet of this two taxa then he / she could create a new species based on the growth habit. so, it is necessary to observe all the characters make a comrative study of them including all the type specimen and then only judge wheather it is a new one or not.
with regards
Sunit
I would also add that the type specimen and/or the description in the protologue may not be typical of the species if there were few specimens available to the author of the description, and it turned out that those specimens were somehow atypical of the species.
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