>>I have heard talk of the Pantheropis name change but have yet to find anything published on it much less reviewed and made official. Not saying they wont change it but unless I am seeing false info the name Elaphe was the 1st described which according to taxonomic rules means it's the good one. Unless of course they determine it to be incorrect. Still one taxonomist changing a name does not make it official until it is reviewed and passed by others.





Priority is not the main issue here. Elaphe was described first. However, every genus has a type species. If the genus is split, then the name of the genus goes with the type species and its closest relatives. For the remainder of what used to be the large genus, replacement or new names have to be found.



In the case of Elaphe, the type species is Elaphe sauromates, a European rat snake. Consequently, the name Elaphe "belongs" in the first instance to this species and its relatives. A number of studies have shown that N. American "Elaphe" are more closely related to Lampropeltis and Pituophis than to E. sauromates. Consequently, they cannot be placed in the genus Elaphe. The oldest available generic name applicable to the N. American rat snakes is Pantherophis, hence this name is the one to use.



A whole bunch of other rat snakes in the Old World are also changing genus. The Aesculapian snake, for instance, is now Zamenis longissimus, Elaphe radiata is Coelognathus radiatus, etc.



Finally, there is no such thing as an "official" classification, there is only consensus among scientists, which is based on a shared feeling that the evidence used to generate a proposal for change is in fact adequate to support it. The fact that Elaphe in the old sense was an artificicial group was no state secret, but there was no clear alterantive view. Utiger and colleagues have now replaced the previous uncertainty with a new framework for classifying these creatures. That's why the changes they proposed are being accepted, whereas other changes or new genera are not being accepted until additional research confirms their validity.



Cheers,



Wolfgang
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