That may be so, but I can still determine for myself that "Pantherophis" is a contrived genus that is morphologically indistinguishable from Elaphe. I am able to do that because, unlike you or the cladists, I do not casually dismiss the wisdom of the great scientists past and present. Unlike you, I see no utility in recognizing the genus "Pantherophis" because with the present arrangement we have some assurance that Elaphe obsoleta is closely related to Elaphe scalaris, Elaphe quadrivirgata and Elaphe mandarina. If "Pantherophis" is recognized along with the other contrived genera resurrected/erected by Utiger et al., we would have no such assurance. As far as the nomenclature is concerned, we do not know if "Pantherophis" is really more closely related to Diadophis or to Thamnophis than it is to "Euprepiophis."

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