[HELICONIUS] DNA Barcoders will enjoy this

[James Mallet]

Species descriptions of Astraptes skippers: I can't access the full 
version of Andy Brower's paper from my UCL account, but Andrew Brower 
will probably send you a copy if you're interested.

The paper is interesting! It refers to the Hebert et al. DNA 
barcoding paper 2004 paper I list at the bottom of the page.

_____________________________________________________________________________
Brower, A.V.Z. 2010.

Alleviating the taxonomic impediment of DNA barcoding and setting a
bad precedent: names for ten species of 'Astraptes fulgerator'
(Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Eudaminae) with DNA-based diagnoses.

Systematics and Biodiversity (2010), 8(4): 485-491
DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2010.534512

email: abrower at mtsu.edu

[Some extracts, especially the new names and their etymology]:

Abstract

Ten species of the Astraptes fulgerator complex are named
and diagnosed based on their mitochondrial 'DNA barcode'
sequences. A rationale for this rather unorthodox approach
to species description is offered, and some philosophical
questions about whether or not such descriptions are
desirable are addressed. It is emphasized that while these
descriptions fix the nomenclatural problem raised by
reference to 'ten species' in the literature, the
application of names to concepts does not corroborate or
endorse the biological validity of those concepts.

Astraptes audax sp. nov.

Etymology. The name audax means 'bold.' The species is
so named in recognition of the Barcoding Of Life Database
that houses the diagnostic characters.

Astraptes augeas sp. nov.

Etymology. The name augeas is a noun in apposition. In
Greek mythology, Augeas of Elis was the owner of the
stables that comprised Heracles' Fifth Labour. The name
recognizes the enormous throughput of the ACG barcoding
endeavour and the resultant labour required of systematists.

Astraptes boreas sp. nov.

Etymology. The name boreas, a masculine noun in apposition,
is the personification of 'the North Wind'.
The species name alludes to the enthusiastic advocacy
of DNA barcoding by Paul Hebert and his Canadian
colleagues.

Astraptes favilla sp. nov.

Etymology. The name favilla, a feminine noun in apposition,
means 'smouldering embers'. The species is named in
recognition of the skipper taxonomist John M. Burns.

Astraptes fruticibus sp. nov.

Etymology. The name fruticibus means 'from the bushes',
referring to the fact that DNA barcodes from this species do
not form a distinct group in the cladistic analyses of Brower
(2006).

Astraptes inflatio sp. nov.

Etymology. The name inflatio, a noun in apposition, means
'inflation', reflecting the large increase in apparent species
diversity of the A. fulgerator complex resulting from the
study of DNA barcodes.

Astraptes obstupefactus sp. nov.

Etymology. The name obstupefactus means 'thunderstruck'.
This name seems appropriate for a sibling species
of A. fulgerator, whose namemeans 'a priest who interprets
omens from lightning'.

Astraptes procrastinator sp. nov.

Etymology. The name reflects the extended time elapsed
between the discovery and description of this species.

Astraptes synecdoche sp. nov.

Etymology. The name synecdoche is a noun in apposition.
Synecdoche is a rhetorical device by which a part stands
for the whole, a concept which reflects the presumed relationship
between the DNA barcode and the organism

Astraptes viracocha sp. nov.

Etymology. The name viracocha, a noun in apposition, is
the name of a bearded white god of the Incas. The species
is named for Dan Janzen.


Discussion

Why bother?

Hebert et al. (2004) asserted, 'Should the ten species of A.
fulgerator identified in this study be formally described despite
their morphological similarity? Yes.' But, to date, they
have not been.

...

As far as I am aware, for good or ill, these represent
the first taxa described
solely on the basis of characters fromDNAbarcodes. If publication
of these names and associated diagnoses provokes
an outcry, so much the better for science. On the other hand,
I would be dismayed if it established a precedent for similar
technically correct but empirically vacuous barcode-based
species descriptions. Perhaps the most 'serious' point of
these descriptions is that simply because species can be
identified and publicized on the basis of a few nucleotide
differences it does not mean that they should be.

_____________________________________________________________________________
Hebert, P. D. N., E. H. Penton, J. M. Burns, D. H. Janzen, and W. 
Hallwachs. 2004. Ten species in one: DNA barcoding reveals cryptic 
species in the neotropical skipper butterfly Astraptes fulgerator. 
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 101:14812-14817.



________________________________

James Mallet
UCL
www.ucl.ac.uk/taxome/jim  
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