Systema Naturae 250—The Linnaean Ark

Extract

Taxonomists (myself included) have a reputation for whining (Smith 2008; Wheeler 2008). It was therefore with some trepidation that I approached Systema Naturae 250—The Linnaean Ark, a series of essays exploring the history and future of zoological nomenclature. This book was born from a symposium of the same name held in 2008 to celebrate 250 years since the publication of the 10th edition of Linnaeus' Systema Naturae. Edited by Andrew Polaszek, in his then capacity as Executive Secretary to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), this new volume charts the birth of modern nomenclature, from Linnaeus, through his contemporaries like Charles Davies Sherbon, up to present day nomenclatural issues relevant to initiatives like DNA barcoding, the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL), and the future of web-based taxonomy.

Polaszek introduces the volume as a `Linnaean Smörgåsbord,' held together under the unifying theme of celebrating a quarter millennium of naming animals. His analogy is particularly apt since Systema Naturae 250 has several characteristics in common with a buffet-style Scandinavian meal. The topics of its 17 chapters have little thematic arrangement, are written in a range of literary styles and, although they are mostly quite digestible, include a few pickled herrings for those with more acquired tastes. The subjects cover social and scientific history, informatics, publishing, funding practices, digitization, taxonomic workflows, and conservation biology, to name but a few. Eighteenth century history abuts contemporary taxonomic theory; speculative ramblings are sandwiched between reasoned judgments. Despite this assortment, the arrangement does not detract. I suspect that few people read edited volumes cover to cover, and those who do are sufficiently engaged with the subject not to care. The variety of topics illustrates the reach of zoological nomenclature as a foundation for understanding biological diversity. To this end, this topical diversity is fully justified, even if a little more thematic arrangement would not have gone amiss.