Journal Article

Nomenclature of disarticulated pelmatozoan columnals: A comment

Donovan, S K

2001

Overview

In A recently published account of Middle Triassic crinoids from southwest China, Stiller (2000, p. 33) made a number of general points concerning the classification of crinoids on the basis of their disarticulated ossicles. Donovan (1986) was attributed with proposing the suffix (col.) (not (col) as quoted by Stiller) for use with crinoid genera based solely on elements of the column; it was suggested that (col.) had not been generally accepted and had only rarely been used in publications; Stiller regarded the approach as \"not convincing,\" as other groups of organisms preserved as disarticulated elements are successfully classified without resorting to such suffixes; it was rightly considered that systematists should attempt to place new taxa within a more or less \"natural\" system; and Stiller regarded the use of suffixes as questionable with respect to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. This analysis invites further discussion on an area of systematic paleontology that continues to be underexplored. The purpose of this note is to further examine these ideas and to discuss some of the difficulties of classifying Paleozoic pelmatozoans on the basis of their disarticulated columnals.

• Subject: Crinoidea