Proposal
(279) to South American Classification Committee
Change
spelling of Phylloscartes paulistus to Phylloscartes paulista
Phylloscartes paulista Ihering & Ihering 1907
(As aves do Brazil. Catálog. da Fauna Braz., Vol.1., p. 272)
Hellmayr (1927, Catalogue of birds of the Americas) changed Phylloscartes
paulista to Phylloscartes paulistus, and the latter spelling has
been used ever since by most if not all subsequent authors. However, Straube,
F.C. & Pacheco, J.F. (2002. Phylloscartes paulista: uma grafia
correta para Phylloscartes paulistus. Ararajuba 10(1):
83-84) showed that the name paulista is a Portuguese word (a
noun as well as an adjective) and concluded that it is invariable. They are
absolutely right. It is clear that paulista - whether a noun or an
adjective in Portuguese - has to be treated as indeclinable under art. 31.2.3
(ICZN 1999), and that there is no need to invoke art. 31.2.2. (noun or
adjective) to justify invariability.
There are many other cases analogous to paulista Ihering
& Ihering 1907. One is Ornismyia lumachella Lesson, 1838.
When Gould 1849 established Augastes, he used the combinations Augastes
scutatus and Augastes "lumachellus", which was used
until HBW 5 advocated A. lumachella (see also my BBOC paper
122: 40). Another is Myrmornis arada Hermann, 1783, now Cyphorhinus
arada, but which was "often wrongly made to agree in gender"
(Jobling, 1991; see also BBOC 122: 40)
When Hellmayr (1927) changed Phylloscartes paulista to Phylloscartes
"paulistus", he introduced a "subsequent spelling"
(art. 33.1). His action, changing the gender ending of paulista to agree
in gender with the generic name, that Hellmayr thought was required because Phylloscartes
is masculine, has to be viewed as a change of ending contrary to 31.2.3 and
34.2.1. Under 33.1, "paulistus" is not an emendation or an
incorrect subsequent spelling, and "prevailing usage" (33.2.3.1,
33.3.1) cannot be invoked to maintain it. I still consider that seeking to
preserve Phylloscartes "paulistus" would create a very
undesirable precedent. Anyone advocating that Phylloscartes "paulistus" should be maintained must also
advocate "Augastes lumachellus", and the preservation of many
if not all of the incorrect gender endings that were addressed in David &
Gosselin's BBOC papers.
I thereby propose that Phylloscartes paulista Ihering
& Ihering 1907 must be spelled Phylloscartes paulista.
Normand
David, May 2007
Additional comments from Edward C. Dickinson: "I agree with the conclusions that Normand reaches in both
cases and it is essential, I think, that his submission on paulista include the
suffixed note about paulistus. I fear there are too many of us
around who think that an invariable name must have just the one fixed spelling!
By means of this suffix Normand makes the point that if first used as paulista
it must remain paulista and if first used as paulistus it must remain so."
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Comments from Stiles: "YES. I will go
with the experts here, having neither the expertise nor the experience to
advocate otherwise!"
Comments from Robbins: "YES, a well-supported
change."
Comments from Nores: "YES, pero con la aclaración de que paulistus no significa
necesariamente adaptar la palabra al masculino, sino también puede ser
latinizarla, o sea que también es válida. Como esta especie fue descripta por
Ihering y Ihering como Phylloscartes paulista, debería mantener
dicho nombre, pero Hemitriccus nidipendulus paulistus, que
así fue originalmente descripto por Hellmayr, debería mantener esta
denominación. Un caso similar es el de varias plantas y animales que el nombre
proviene de Buenos Aires, razón por la cual se los ha denominado bonariense,
independientemente de que sean masculinos o femeninos. Ejemplos: Solanum
bonariense, Synanchum bonariense, Verbena bonariense. No obstante, existe
la posibilidad de latinizar el nombre y así tenemos Molothrus bonariensis,
Thraupis bonariensis, Acacia bonariensis, etc. En ambos casos, la
denominación es correcta. Otro caso es el nombre versicolor, que
significa de varios colores y que se usa de la misma manera en el masculino o
femenino. Ejemplos: Anas versicolor, Pachyramphus versicolor. No obstante,
puede usarse versicolorus o versicolurus. Ejemplos: Brotogeris
versicolurus, Zelatractodes versicolorus (Diptera)."
Comments from Jaramillo: "YES - I must admit lacking
a solid enough background here to deeply understand the concepts, but I am
clever enough to agree with those that know more about this than I do!"
Comments from Pacheco: "YES. Como coautor da nota original reitero o meu voto sim."