No infrasubspecific zoological ranks

[informatics-dev]

• Original ID: 3630
• Added by Laurence Livermore
• Scratchpads URL: null

Description:

There is no support for infrasubspecific rank e.g. below subspecies as these are not covered by the ICZN.

This is an issue for Ian's site because there are many historical abberations - a unit indicator that mostly occurs with Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths).

We need to look into how they would be classified and what, if anything, we should add to accommodate them.

Do EOL, GBIF or TDWG deal with these names? Is there any standard we can use?

Current thoughts on how we should record them:
Usage = invalid
Unacceptability reason = objective synonym
Unit indicator = ab. (not currently in Scratchpads)

[informatics-dev]

Comment by Laurence Livermore

EOL include abberations: http://eol.org/pages/28713156/overview

GBIF include it in in their rank concepts (http://vocabularies.gbif.org/node/102908) but it in the TDWG Taxon Rank LSID Ontology (http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/TaxonRank#Subphylum).

[informatics-dev]

Comment by Simon Rycroft

Note, GBIF includes it in their rank concepts, but not as a concept, but instead as an alternative term for "mutant", which also is not in the TDWG ontology.

I am happy enough to include an additional unit indicator (for units 3 and 4?) of "ab.". We will also need to include an option of entering an alternative Rank to the ones provided. The Rank field could therefore be converted to allow an "Other" option, which then prompts the user to enter the rank manually.

Does this sounds reasonable?

[informatics-dev]

Comment by Katherine Bouton

We also might be able to use #4133 - the tamper, if weird mapping is required

[informatics-dev]

Comment by Laurence Livermore

I'm happy with your suggestion - this should solve any infrasubspecific issues, certainly in zoology.

[informatics-dev]

Comment by Katherine Bouton

Moved to core with my departure

[informatics-dev]

Comment by Simon Rycroft

It looks like this branch of code needs significant work. Postponing this issue for now.

[Archilegt]

Please, do not abandon this issue. The solution is as proposed by Simon Rycroft: to include an additional unit indicator (for units 3 and 4) of "ab.". The accompanying option of entering an alternative Rank, either "Infrasubspecies" or, as suggested by Simon, an "Other" option, which then prompts the user to enter the rank manually. I can guide the process to keep it ZooCode-compliant.
We do have aberrations in Myriapoda and Onychophora. It is important to record those, as they are nomina nuda. Tagging them with the correct rank and unit indicator is important to understand why they are nomina nuda.
Related to Expansion of ITIS data model to include zoo-rank "superspecies" #6308 and to Support ICZN interpolates species complex names.