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A conserved name or ''nomen conservandum'' (plural ''nomina conservanda'', abbreviated as ''nom. cons.'') is a scientific name that has specific nomenclatural protection. That is, the name is retained, even though it violates one or more rules which would otherwise prevent it from being legitimate. ''Nomen conservandum'' is a
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
term, meaning "a name to be conserved". The terms are often used interchangeably, such as by the ''International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi, and Plants'' (ICN), while the ''
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature 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 ...
'' favours the term "''conserved name''". The process for conserving botanical names is different from that for zoological names. Under the botanical code, names may also be "suppressed", ''nomen rejiciendum'' (plural ''nomina rejicienda'' or ''nomina utique rejicienda'', abbreviated as ''nom. rej.''), or rejected in favour of a particular conserved name, and combinations based on a suppressed name are also listed as “''nom. rej.''”.


Botany


Conservation

In botanical nomenclature, conservation is a nomenclatural procedure governed by Article 14 of the ICN. Its purpose is :"to avoid disadvantageous nomenclatural changes entailed by the strict application of the rules, and especially of the
principle of priority 270px, '' valid name. Priority is a fundamental principle of modern botanical nomenclature and zoological nomenclature. Essentially, it is the principle of recognising the first valid application of a name to a plant or animal. There are two a ...
.. (Art. 14.1). Conservation is possible only for names at the rank of
family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
,
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
or
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
. It may effect a change in original spelling, type, or (most commonly) priority. * Conserved spelling (''orthographia conservanda'', ''orth. cons.'') allows spelling usage to be preserved even if the name was published with another spelling: ''
Euonymus ''Euonymus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the staff vine family, Celastraceae. Common names vary widely among different species and between different English-speaking countries, but include spindle (or spindle tree), burning-bush, strawb ...
'' (not ''Evonymus''), ''
Guaiacum ''Guaiacum'' (''OED'' 2nd edition, 1989.Entry "guaiacum"
in
orthographical variant). * Conserved types (''typus conservandus'', ''typ. cons.'') are often made when it is found that a type in fact belongs to a different taxon from the description, when a name has subsequently been generally misapplied to a different taxon, or when the type belongs to a small group separate from the monophyletic bulk of a taxon. * Conservation of a name against an earlier taxonomic (heterotypic) synonym (which is termed a rejected name, ''nomen rejiciendum'', ''nom. rej.'') is relevant only if a particular taxonomist includes both types in the same taxon.


Rejection

Besides conservation of names of certain ranks (Art. 14), the ICN also offers the option of outright rejection of a name (''nomen utique rejiciendum'') also called suppressed name under Article 56, another way of creating a ''nomen rejiciendum'' that cannot be used anymore. Outright rejection is possible for a name at any rank. Rejection (suppression) of individual names is distinct from suppression of works (''opera utique oppressa'') under Article 34, which allows for listing certain taxonomic ranks in certain publications which are considered not to include any validly published names.


Effects

Conflicting conserved names are treated according to the normal rules of priority. Separate proposals (informally referred to as "superconservation" proposals) may be made to protect a conserved name that would be overtaken by another. However, conservation has different consequences depending on the type of name that is conserved: *A conserved family name is protected against all other family names based on genera that are considered by the taxonomist to be part of the same family. *A conserved genus or species name is conserved against any
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 definitio ...
s,
homotypic synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...
s, and those ''specific'' heterotypic synonyms that are simultaneously declared nomina rejicienda (as well as their own homotypic synonyms). As taxonomic changes are made, other names may require new proposals for conservation and/or rejection.


Documentation

Conserved and rejected names (and suppressed names) are listed in the appendices to the ICN. As of the 2012 (Melbourne) edition, a separate volume holds the bulk of the appendices (except appendix I, on names of hybrids). The substance of the second volume is generated from a database which also holds a history of published proposals and their outcomes, the binding decisions on whether a name is validly published (article 38.4) and on whether it is a homonym (article 53.5). The database can be queried online.


Procedure

# The procedure starts by submitting a proposal to the journal ''Taxon'' (published by the IAPT). This proposal should present the case both for and against conservation of a name. Publication notifies anybody concerned that the matter is being considered and makes it possible for those interested to write in. Publication is the start of the formal procedure: it counts as referring the matter "to the appropriate Committee for study" and Rec 14A.1 comes into effect. The name in question is (somewhat) protected by this Recommendation ("... authors should follow existing usage as far as possible ..."). # After reviewing the matter, judging the merits of the case, "the appropriate Committee" makes a decision either against ("not recommended") or in favor ("recommended"). Then the matter is passed to the General Committee. # After reviewing the matter, mostly from a procedural angle, the General Committee makes a decision, either against ("not recommended") or in favor ("recommended"). At this point Article 14.16 comes into effect. Art 14.16 authorizes all users to indeed use that name. # The General Committee reports to the Nomenclature Section of the
International Botanical Congress International Botanical Congress (IBC) is an international meeting of botanists in all scientific fields, authorized by the International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies (IABMS) and held every six years, with the location rotati ...
, stating which names (including types and spellings) it recommends for conservation. Then, by Div.III.1, the Nomenclature Section makes a decision on which names (including types, spellings) are accepted into the ''Code''. At this stage the ''de facto'' decision is made to modify the ''Code''. # The Plenary Session of that same International Botanical Congress receives the "resolution moved by the Nomenclature Section of that Congress" and makes a ''de jure'' decision to modify the ''Code''. By long tradition this step is ceremonial in nature only. In the course of time there have been different standards for the majority required for a decision. However, for decades the Nomenclature Section has required a 60% majority for an inclusion in the ''Code'', and the Committees have followed this example, in 1996 adopting a 60% majority for a decision.


Zoology

For zoology, the term "conserved name", rather than ''nomen conservandum'', is used in the ''International Code of Zoological Nomenclature'', although informally both terms are used interchangeably. In the glossary of the ''International Code of Zoological Nomenclature'' (the code for names of animals, one of several
nomenclature codes Nomenclature codes or codes of nomenclature are the various rulebooks that govern biological taxonomic nomenclature, each in their own broad field of organisms. To an end-user who only deals with names of species, with some awareness that species ...
), this definition is given: ;conserved name :A name otherwise unavailable or invalid that the Commission, by the use of its plenary power, has enabled to be used as a valid name by removal of the known obstacles to such use. This is a more generalized definition than the one for ''
nomen protectum In zoological nomenclature, a ''nomen oblitum'' (plural: ''nomina oblita''; Latin for "forgotten name") is a disused scientific name which has been declared to be obsolete (figuratively 'forgotten') in favour of another 'protected' name. In its p ...
'', which is specifically a conserved name that is either a junior
synonym 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 al ...
or
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 definitio ...
that is in use because the senior synonym or homonym has been made a ''
nomen oblitum In zoological nomenclature, a ''nomen oblitum'' (plural: ''nomina oblita''; Latin for "forgotten name") is a disused scientific name which has been declared to be obsolete (figuratively 'forgotten') in favour of another 'protected' name. In its p ...
'' ("forgotten name"). An example of a conserved name is the
dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
genus name ''
Pachycephalosaurus ''Pachycephalosaurus'' (; meaning "thick-headed lizard", from Greek ''pachys-/'' "thick", ''kephale/'' "head" and ''sauros/'' "lizard") is a genus of pachycephalosaurid dinosaurs. The type species, ''P. wyomingensis'', is the only known specie ...
'', which was formally described in 1943. Later, ''Tylosteus'' (which was formally described in 1872) was found to be the same genus as ''Pachycephalosaurus'' (a synonym). By the usual rules, the genus ''Tylosteus'' has precedence and would normally be the correct name. But the
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 26 commissioners from 20 countries. Orga ...
(ICZN) ruled that the name ''Pachycephalosaurus'' was to be given precedence and treated as the valid name, because it was in more common use and better known to scientists. The ICZN's procedural details are different from those in botany, but the basic operating principle is the same, with petitions submitted to the commission for review.


See also

*
Opinion 2027 Opinion 2027 is a 2003 ruling of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) concerning the conservation of 17 species names of wild animals with domestic derivatives. Opinion 2027 is in response to Case 3010 and subsequent com ...
, an example of name conservation as applied by ICZN *
Glossary of scientific naming This is a list of terms and symbols used in scientific names for organisms, and in describing the names. For proper parts of the names themselves, see List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names. Note that many of the abbrevi ...


References

* * {{cite journal , title=An example of a "nomen rejiciendum et illegitimum", journal = Taxon, volume = 21, issue = 1, pages = 205–209, jstor = 1219271, last1 = Crosby, first1 = Marshall R., year = 1972, doi = 10.2307/1219271 Biological classification Botanical nomenclature Zoological nomenclature Taxonomy (biology)