User:Liné1/Why taxon authority has to be stored as string

Currently Taxon authority is stored as taxon author (P405). It is interesting to access the biologist biography, but it is not enough. A precise string also has to be stored.

Arguments why authority is important

• There is only one way to cite a taxon: provide TaxonName + TaxonAuthority. TaxonName is not enough due to Homonyms (a name for a taxon that is identical in spelling to another such name, that belongs to a different taxon)

  There are good examples in Homonyms, like Agathis montana Shestakov (a wasp) != Agathis montana de Laub. (a conifer)

Arguments why authority must also be stored as a string

• The way taxonAuthorityAndDate is constructed is quite complex:
  • The construction differs for each Taxon group.
    • The abbreviation of the same botanist is different depending on the taxon group:

      For Carl_von_Linné: L. in botanic, Linnaeus in zoology. (Ovis aries Linnaeus, 1758 but Magnolia L. (1753))

    • The contruction of the authority is different following the taxon group. There are many convertions like International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN) or International Code of Zoological Nomenclature

• There are many many taxonomic database accessible on internet. You can check: non store the authority by referencing database items. (You can know their DB storage type because they provide WEB API matching their DB)

• Taxonomist are very touchy about conventions (italic, uppercases...). Failing on authority display makes us look like grant amateur (I meant children).

• Wikidata tried to store all the complexity (ex, sensus...) with qualifiers .
  • It is so complex that no wikidata contributor knowns how to use them, nor even knows they exist.
  • Wikidata contributors don't even provide authority...
  • Even if you provide all the qualifiers (see Salsola foliosa (Q11148086)), wikidata is not able to display you the standard computed authority. So there is no way to check if what you provided in wikidata matches the true taxonAuthorityAndDate

Argument why authority as link does not manage unicity

• Begonia libera L.B.Sm. & B.G.Schub. != Begonia libera (L.B.Sm. & B.G.Schub.) L.B.Sm. & B.G.Schub.

Examples

Of complexity

• parenthesis:
  • Notocidaris mortenseni (Koehler, 1900) -- Goniocidaris mortenseni Koehler, 1900 has been created by Jean Baptiste François René Koehler (official name Koehler) but later renamed as Notocidaris mortenseni
  • Begonia libera (L.B.Sm. & B.G.Schub.) L.B.Sm. & B.G.Schub. (1955) - Begoniella libera L.B. Sm. & B.G. Schub. has been created by 2 authors but later renamed as Notocidaris mortenseni
• ex:
  • Acrocordia salweyi (Leight. ex Nyl.) A. L. Sm., 1911: The basionym of this species is Verrucaria salweyi Leight. ex Nyl., 1856, which has been created by William Leighton (official abbreviation Leight.), but published by en:William Nylander (botanist) in 1856. Then it has been renamed in 1911 under the genus en:Acrocordia by en:Annie Lorrain Smith.
• sensu:
  • Ophiurina Müller & Troschel, 1840 sensu O'Hara et al., 2017: The name proposed in 1840 by Müller & Troschel has been kept, but the taxon definition has been completely changed O'Hara et al., 2017. (So Ophiurina Müller & Troschel, 1840 exist is in the same group, but its content is different)

Of non unicity of a taxon name (all these are different species)

• Physeter microps:
  • Physeter microps Linnaeus, 1758 => Sperm whale
  • Physeter microps Fabricius, 1780 => Killer whale
• Hibbertia angustifolia
  • Hibbertia angustifolia Salisb. (nom. illeg.) => Hibbertia procumbens (Labill.) DC.
  • Hibbertia angustifolia Benth.
  • Hibbertia angustifolia (DC.) Benth.
  • Hibbertia angustifolia K.D.Koenig & Sims
  • Hibbertia angustifolia F.Muell.
• Paeonia officinalis
  • Paeonia officinalis Hayne
  • Paeonia officinalis Thunb.
  • Paeonia officinalis L.
  • Paeonia officinalis Pall.
  • Paeonia officinalis Falk
  • Paeonia officinalis Gouan

Interesting links

• en:Author citation (botany)
• en:List of botanists by author abbreviation (A)
• List of zoologists by author abbreviation