Endings of some Synodontis species names

[lfinley58]

Hi all.

A post was recently made in this forum regarding the description of a new species of Synodontis (S. macropunctata) that was published in the current issue of the journal Copeia. In addition to the description itself, the paper is important in another way. It is the first paper, as far as I can tell, published on Synodontis since the 2007 appearance of the Ferraris Checklist of Catfishes. In this work Ferraris changed the endings of a number of Synodontis species names based on the interpretation that the genus name was feminine instead of masculine as had generally been assumed (this also effects some species names in the genera Hemisynodontis and Microsynodontis). Subsequent to this, Dr. William Eschmeyer in the Catalog of Fishes has adopted these new name endings on the website. The new description is important in this area in that, in addition to the new species name, there is noted under some comparative information the use of of the feminized versions of at least five other species names in the genus Synodontis. So with this current paper there is obviously another important acceptance regarding the changes in the species names as used by Ferraris. Is it now time for PlanetCatfish to possibly consider the potential for adopting the necessary changes? It is certainly something worth thinking about. I will end with noting that there are some that feel that such changes, apparently for stability, should be unnecessary. I guess we will have to wait and see how the situation develops.

The following are the commonly used species names for 32 Synodontis catfishes and the new replacement names that are in place with the gender readjustment to femine that is presented in the work by Ferraris.

S. albolineatus = S. albolineata
S. angelicus = S. angelica (In the original description angelica was the name used)
S. aterrimus = S. aterrima
S. caudovittatus = S. caudovittata
S. congicus = S. congica
S. contractus = S. contracta
S. cuangoanus = S. cuangoana
S. decorus = S. decora
S. dorsomaculatus = S. dorsomaculata
S. eupterus = S. euptera
S. filamentosus = S. filamentosa
S. flavitaeniatus = S. flavitaeniata
S. frontosus = S. frontosa
S. granulosus = S. granulosa
S. guttatus = S. guttata
S. leopardinus = S. leopardina
S. leopardus = S. leoparda
S. macrophthalmus = S. macrophthalma
S. marmoratus = S. marmorata
S. melanopterus = S. melanoptera
S. multimaculatus = S. multimaculata
S. multipunctatus = S. multipunctata
S. nebulosus = S. nebulosa
S. nigromaculatus = S. nigromaculata
S. notatus = S. notata
S. ornatissimus = S. ornatissima
S. punctulatus = S. punctulata
S. resupinatus = S. resupinata
S. serratus = S. serrata
S. vermiculatus = S. vermiculata
S. violaceus = S. violacea
S. zanzibaricus = S. zanzibarica

Lee

[Birger]

I have been wondering since the Ferraris list how and when the feminine versions would start to come into effect, I guess this answers those questions.

Birger

[Richard B]

Thanks for the heads-up Lee

I think for me personally, i should try to use the correct name but i think it's gonna be hard to remember all the time & some of the "new" versions don't feel comfortable in my head, having just got my third S. Granulosa! (I think this sounds like a sugar substitute!!!)

[Jools]

I do plan to change them but it's a pain in the ***. Aside from being correct, what this also means is that he pages will be harder to find for those people seaching outside of the site. To at least mimise this, synonyms need set up for the old names we are more familiar with.

So, as the catelog data team add synonyms, I'll correct the species name as we go.

How does that sound team?

Jools

[Richard B]

It sounds like a LOT of work for someone

[Marc van Arc]

So, as the catelog data team add synonyms, I'll correct the species name as we go. How does that sound team?

Sounds like no problem, but I'll have to get rid of 160 final exams first, starting tomorrow. So if you have some patience I can do it towards next weekend.

I'd prefer if you do the new names first and I add the synonyms after that, in which case I just have to follow the Species Updates. I don't have to tell you that this works nicely

[Carp37]

I'm all for reclassifying species as more information becomes available, but changing species names whilst keeping them in the same genus seems like ICZN gone mad. Some of these names have been in use since the 1890s- surely the consistency approach should apply, whereby as the names have been in use for so long, they remain unchanged?

[Marc van Arc]

I'd prefer if you do the new names first and I add the synonyms after that, in which case I just have to follow the Species Updates. I don't have to tell you that this works nicely

Jools, you can go ahead if you want to.

Mats, could you place this thread in Site suggestions & bugs, so it won't be forgotten.

[Mod edit: As you wish. --Mats]

[The.Dark.One]

You may want to wait. I understand that some don't agree that 'odontis' is feminine, and in Lothar Seegers' book he stays with it being masculine and therefore the 'old' name endings.

[lfinley58]

Hi all,

It will be interesting to see where the gender situation with Synodontis goes. As I noted in the first post William Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes has accepted the feminine endings for the names as did Wright and Page in their recent description of S. macropunctata. I just noticed this morning that FishBase has now also adopted the feminine endings (I am not sure when this took place).

Re the Seegers book on African catfishes: In that I know that this book has been in the works for a long time I would feel pretty safe in saying that Seegers probably finished and sent the book for the long process of translating, editing and printing, etc., before the name ending situation with Synodontis "bloomed". Does anyone have contact with him? It might be interesting to see where his head might be now on the topic.

Lee

[The.Dark.One]

I corresponded with him today. He doesnt agree that 'odontis' is feminine.

[lfinley58]

Hi Steve and all.

Steve, thanks for the quick follow up and answer regarding my last post. I know at least one other European ichthyologist who is also strongly against the feminine interpretation. I guess that we will just be sitting and watching to see what develops. I personally plan to follow the Ferraris, Eschmeyer, Wright & Page, and FishBase designations and will be using the feminine endings in any writings that I do - at least until there is some material published offering generally accepted definitive proof against such use. It would be interesting to see some pro and con type writings on this topic. But, it does appear that we usually just see the various parties using the names that they believe in and letting it go at that. It will be interesting to see if it finally ends up as a ICZN case - for either correctness and/or stability (as was mentioned in a previous post in this thread) considerations.

Lee

[The.Dark.One]

Hi Lee

You are welcome. I am certainly no expert on gender of words, but I would have thought that anyone with a good understanding of Greek and formation of latinised names should be able to tell us? As far as I am aware 'odontis' is not a Greek word in itself, but odont, odous, odōn, odoús are. Here is Article 30 from the ICZN. Anyone give it a stab?

Article 30. Gender of genus-group names. The gender of a genus-group name is determined by the provisions of this Article.

30.1. Gender of names formed from Latin or Greek words. Subject to the exceptions specified in Article 30.1.4,

30.1.1. a genus-group name that is or ends in a Latin word takes the gender given for that word in standard Latin dictionaries; if it is a compound word formed from two or more components, the gender is given by the final component (in the case of a noun, the gender of that noun; in the case of any other component, such as a Latin suffix, the gender appropriate to that component);

Examples. Felis and Tuba, feminine; Salmo, Passer, Ursus and Turdus, masculine; Argonauta, masculine from the final noun nauta (a sailor), masculine; Lithodomus, feminine from the final noun domus (a home), feminine; Anser (a goose), masculine, as are names ending in it; Anseranas, feminine (a compound name of two nouns: Anser, masculine, but the final noun anas (a duck) is feminine); Anserina (Anser with the suffix -ina), feminine; Oculina, feminine (from the Latin masculine noun oculus and the feminine suffix -ina); Orca (from orca, a large-bellied pot), feminine; names formed from it by the addition of suffixes: Orcaella, feminine, and Orcinus, masculine.

30.1.2. a genus-group name that is or ends in a Greek word transliterated into Latin without other changes takes the gender given for that word in standard Greek dictionaries;

Examples. Greek nouns transliterated without change into Latin as the whole or part of a name: Ichthyornis, ending in -ornis (ornis), is masculine; Lepas (lepas) is feminine; Diadema (diadema) is neuter. Names ending in -caris (caris), -gaster (gaster), -lepis (lepis), or -opsis (opsis) are feminine; names ending in -ceras (keras), -nema (nema), -soma (soma), -stigma (stigma), or -stoma (stoma) are neuter.

30.1.3. a genus-group name that is a Greek word latinized with change of ending, or with a Latin or latinized suffix, takes the gender normally appropriate to the changed ending or the Latin suffix.

Examples. Names with the Latin gender ending -us, latinized from the Greek endings -os (masculine or feminine), -e (feminine), -a (neuter) or -on (neuter), are masculine: e.g. -cephalus (kephale), -cheilus and -chilus (cheilos), -crinus (krinon), -echinus (echinos), -gnathus (gnathos), -rhamphus (rhamphos), -rhynchus (rhynchos), -somus (soma), -stethus (stethos), and -stomus (stoma). Names ending in the Latin gender ending -a, latinized from the Greek ending -on are feminine, e.g. -metopa (metopon). Names derived from the Greek -keras (neuter) may have the ending -cerus (masculine) or -cera (feminine), although simple transliteration of the Greek ending as -ceras retains the neuter gender; Phorella (feminine) is derived from the Greek word phor (a robber, masculine) and the Latin diminutive suffix -ella (feminine); Scatella, feminine, is derived from skatos (neuter) and the Latin suffix -ella (feminine); Doridunculus (masculine) from Doris, Greek, the name of a sea godess (feminine), and -unculus a Latin suffix (masculine).

30.1.4. The following exceptions apply:

30.1.4.1. If the author states when establishing the name that it is not formed from, or is not treated as, a Latin or Greek word [Art. 26], the gender is determined as though the name is an arbitrary combination of letters (Article 30.2.2).

30.1.4.2. A genus-group name that is or ends in a word of common or variable gender (masculine or feminine) is to be treated as masculine unless its author, when establishing the name, stated that it is feminine or treated it as feminine in combination with an adjectival species-group name [Art. 31.2].

Examples. Bos is of common gender (meaning ox or cow); it and compound names ending in it (such as Ovibos), are treated as masculine. Compound Latin nouns ending in -cola (masculine or common gender in Latin): Agricola ("tiller of fields", masculine in Latin) is masculine, Sylvicola ("inhabitant of woods") and Monticola ("highlander") are treated as masculine. Petricola ("dweller among rocks", common gender in Latin) is feminine because it was originally treated as feminine by being combined with the specific names costata, striata and sulcata.

30.1.4.3. A compound genus-group name ending in -ops is to be treated as masculine, regardless of its derivation or of its treatment by its author.

30.1.4.4. A compound genus-group name ending in the suffix -ites, -oides, -ides, -odes, or -istes is to be treated as masculine unless its author, when establishing the name, stated that it had another gender or treated it as such by combining it with an adjectival species-group name in another gender form.

Examples. Hoplitoides and Harpides are masculine, but Aleptinoides (meaning "like Aleptina") is treated as feminine because that was the gender adopted by its original authors.

30.1.4.5. A genus-group name that is or ends in a Latin word of which the ending has been changed takes the gender appropriate to the new ending; if the ending is such as not to indicate a particular gender, the name is to be treated as masculine.

Example. Dendrocygna is feminine, although the second word in the combination is formed from cygnus (a swan), masculine.

[Jools]

This is now complete.

Jools