Auctorum indicates that a name in
botany
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
and
zoology
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...
is used in the sense of subsequent authors, and not in the sense as established by the original author. Its
etymology
Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...
derives from the Latin word for ''of authors'', and is abbreviated auct. or auctt.
Some species names have been used twice for different species so the author of the name needs to be identified. For example "''Leucospermum bolusii'' auct. Gandoger" for the species that was named as such by Gandoger. It is often used in conjunction with nec or non to indicate a misapplied name, e.g. "''Leucospermum bolusii'' auct. non Gandoger" would mean the species not named by Gandoger.
It may be qualified to indicate the number of authors, e.g. auctorum multorum (abbreviated auct. mult.), Latin for ''of many authors'', indicating that many subsequent authors used a name in a different sense to the original author, and also by non to give auctorum non (auct. non), to indicate that a following author is not the author of the species.
Examples
''
Leucospermum bolusii'' is a name that was used twice for different species. The first time was by
Michel Gandoger in 1901. Since this name was
validly published, used for a species that did not already have a name and the name had not already been used for another species, it is the
correct name
In botany, the correct name according to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN) is the one and only botanical name that is to be used for a particular taxon, when that taxon has a particular circumscription, posi ...
.
The list of
synonyms
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
of ''
Leucospermum cordifolium'' includes ''Leucospermum bolusii'' described by
Edwin Percy Phillips in 1910. This name however was already taken. So, ''Leucospermum bolusii''
E.Phillips, 1910 is a later
homonym
In linguistics, homonyms are words which are homographs (words that share the same spelling, regardless of pronunciation), or homophones ( equivocal words, that share the same pronunciation, regardless of spelling), or both. Using this definiti ...
of ''Leucospermum bolusii''
Gandoger, 1901.
If the name ''Leucospermum bolusii'' is used in a later publication, the botanical author needs to make clear which one is meant, and which one isn’t. Hence, the species of 1901 would be ''Leucospermum bolusii'' auct. Gandoger, while the synonym of ''Leucospermum cordifolium'', is ''Leucospermum bolusii'' E.Phillips, 1910 auct. non Gandoger.
The ''
Flora Europaea
The ''Flora Europaea'' is a 5-volume encyclopedia of plants, published between 1964 and 1993 by Cambridge University Press. The aim was to describe all the national Floras of Europe in a single, authoritative publication to help readers identify ...
'' gives one of the synonyms of ''
Cistus clusii'' as "''C. libanotis'' auct. mult., non L.",
meaning that many authors misapplied the name ''Cistus libanotis'' to the species ''Cistus clusii'' thereby using this name differently from the original author,
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...
.
See also
*
Author citation (botany)
In botanical nomenclature, author citation is the way of citing the person or group of people who validly published a botanical name, i.e. who first published the name while fulfilling the formal requirements as specified by the ''International Cod ...
References
{{reflist
External links
ICZN''auctorum'' in the glossary of the
ICZN
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its publisher, the I ...
Invertebrate Ireland Online''auctorum'' in the glossary of Invertebrate Ireland
Botanical nomenclature
Zoological nomenclature