Flagger Content Author Content Reason Flag Created Resolved by Resolution
rfoster Subspecies Demansia psammophis cupreiceps

status unclear

Sep. 19, 2019 12:03:25 +0000 loarie

see comments

Comments

Reptile Database is hedging it bets on this one listing it as a valid subspecies of Demansia psammophis and also as a synonym of Demansia reticulata (without a subspecies epithet specified).
http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Demansia&species=psammophis&search_param=%28%28search%3D%27demansia+reticulata%27%29%29
http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Demansia&species=reticulata&search_param=%28%28search%3D%27demansia+reticulata%27%29%29

Posted by rfoster over 4 years ago

I agree this looks fishy - would you be interested in / able to contact RD directly about this? They have a December update coming up, and would be easier if this gets fixed there rather than us having to deviate here

Posted by loarie over 4 years ago

All good - a couple of us have convinced RD to make a change. This taxon should be listed as Demansia reticulata cupreiceps in the next RD update. See https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/34592638

Posted by rfoster over 4 years ago

@loarie, it seems the change was derailed by an innocuous pers comm. from Glenn Shea to Peter Uetz that has been given more weight than it deserved. It has resulted in RD, and therefore iNat, being out of step with current understanding in the the Australian herp community, both amateur and professional. This conflict is causing problems in iNat and, frankly, it's a PITA to have to keep "correcting" observations and explaining why.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/51573478
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/58591189

In my view it's time for us to deviate from RD on this one. I will draft the necessary swaps and do the atlases if we're in agreement.

Posted by rfoster almost 3 years ago

ok but keep in mind there's a content freeze in effect until May 10

Posted by loarie almost 3 years ago

Cheers, not a problem.

Posted by rfoster almost 3 years ago

revisiting this and looping in @uetz to see if RD is considering making changes here

Posted by loarie over 2 years ago

Problem is: nobody has sorted this out. As you can see from the comments in the database, I have talked about this with several experts, and there seems to be no consensus or final clarification yet. I have a manuscript on this from 2015 which never got published. Anyway, I can move cupreiceps to reticulata, but even that is preliminary as there seems to be no DNA or other detailed data to stabilize the situation.

Posted by uetz over 2 years ago

OK I made the following swaps and split
Demansia psammophis cupreiceps -> Demansia reticulata
Demansia psammophis psammophis -> Demansia psammophis
Demansia psammophis -> Demansia reticulata, Demansia psammophis
https://www.inaturalist.org/flags/409219

Posted by loarie over 2 years ago

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