If you use Latin word ending rules, Elaphe obsoleta quadrivittata would become Pantherophis obsoletus quadrivittatus. Tha word quadrivittatus is an adjective, so its endings change with the gender of the noun it modifies. Please note that Elaphe gutttata emoryi changes to Pantherophis gutttatus emoryi because emoryi is not an adjective. It is a possessive noun. Using this information, Elaphe bairdi would become Pantherophis bairdi, once again because bairdi is a possessive noun.



I do find it somewhat disconcerting to see the work of so many fine scientists trashed by people who do not understand their arguments. The jury is still out on the proposals made by both Dr. Burbink and his colleagues, and Dr. Utiger and his. Both groups published serious scientific papers with real data to back up their arguments in peer review publications. They had the guts to present their data, warts and all. As the body of knowledge continues to grow, one or both systems may be rejected or one or both may become partially accepted. This process could take another ten or more years. The scientific community will make up its mind slowly. For now, use the system that you like in this forum. Most of the readers go by the common names anyway.



By the way, the last time I checked, Elaphe has not been officially replaced by Pantherophis in the literature.

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