Describing Species Practical Taxonomic Procedure for Biologists

About this book

There are still millions of undescribed species. New species are often discovered during biological or paleontological studies: yet there is no one source a student or researcher can readily consult to learn the basic practical aspects of taxonomic procedures. Describing Species fills the need for a manual to organize the explosion of data that has accompanied the biodiversity crisis.

Contents

I. Introduction
1. Introduction
2. Biological Nomenclature

II. Recognizing Species
3. Species and Their Discovery
4. Establishing Identity: The Literature Search
5. Establishing Identity: Using Museum Collections

III. Writing Species Descriptions
6. Species Descriptions in Taxonomy
7. Headings and Synonymies
8. Naming Species: Etymology
9. Type and Voucher Material
10. Diagnosis
11. Description Section
12. Taxonomic Discussion Section
13. The Ecology Section
14. Occurrence and Distribution
15. Material Examined
16. Publication

IV. Beyond Species Description
17. Subspecies
18. Genus-Level Description and Revision
19. Keys
20. Description of Higher Taxa
21. Common Problems
22. Further Studies in Systematics

Literature Cited

Customer Reviews

Biography

Judith E. Winston is director of research at the Virginia Museum of Natural History and a former curator and chair of the Department of Invertebrates at the American Museum of Natural History.