oldherper wrote:



"Here we have someone, for whatever reason, continuously proposing changes in taxonomy and even reclassifications of entire genera based on obviously (even to the casual observer) flawed and incomplete "studies" and "research" and referring to mysteriously missing or nonexistent data, as well as naming species after his wife and other friends (bad form, to say the least). We have reclassifications proposed based on "generally smaller size" without a citation as to study group size, locale data or anything else relevant. We have still others based on something as ludicrous as propensity to bite. We have seen proposals based on DNA analysis that is mysteriously unavailable

(read nonexistent)."



Unnecessary taxonomic changes do indeed impede scientific progress because scientists need a stable taxonomy to communicate with other scientists, to retrieve information, and to further biological thought. That said, Ray Hoser is not the only one around who is proposing unnecessary taxnomic changes. The journal Herpetological Review have documented several debates over unnecessary taxonomic changes such as those proposed by Frost and Etheridge and Collins. Frost and Etheridge's proposal to reclassify the iguanian lizards have come full circle. The latest taxonomic proposal is to completely undo Frost and Etheridge's controversial arrangement and to return to the traditional 3 family arrangement (Iguanidae, Agamidae and Chamaeleonidae), on the basis of DNA data, which was not available to Frost and Etheridge when they proposed their changes.



Yes, DNA data is very informative of phylogenies, but one must be careful when interpreting DNA data, so as not to equate lineages with species or lineages with any higher taxonomic category.



I do not know if oldherper is aware of Collins' proposal to elevate a large number of subspecies to species status or not, but it is a proposal that was opposed by a large number of herpetologists because Collins presented no evidence to support his proposed changes. Collins' proposal therefore is not very different from Ray Hoser's proposals in their dearth of data.



Curiously, Collins also proposed the eastern Indigo snake be considered a full species: Drymarchon couperi, instead of a subspecies of the wide ranging Drymarchon corais. Oldherper may have been unaware that Collins' proposal was unsupported by data. So when oldherper joked about changing "Drymarchon couperi" to "Coolsnakeus oldherperi", he/she is has unwittingly accepted Collins' unnecessary taxnomic proposal. This is quite an irony for someone to accept one specific unncessary taxonomic proposal while criticizing such proposals in general.

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