Some observant souls may have noticed that some Hong Kong moth observations have been marked up with the observation field "morphospecies code"
What gives?? 🤔
For species with no formal name (i.e. undescribed, or at the least unidentified and possibly undescribed), I am appending what is termed a "morphospecies" id - i.e. "that's what it's being called for now!" - until such time as someonw gets to describe and name the species.
IGMHK is added at the start of the coded field to indicated the name is used in the forthcoming Illustrated Guide to the Moths of Hong Kong
For example, this observation of an unidentified (likely undescribed) tineid - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152009622 - is given the morphospecies code
IGMHK "Thisizima sp. D" (Hong Kong) - look down near the bottom of the right data column, under "Observation ...more ↓
Some observant souls may have noticed that some Hong Kong moth observations have been marked up with the observation field "morphospecies code"
What gives?? 🤔
For species with no formal name (i.e. undescribed, or at the least unidentified and possibly undescribed), I am appending what is termed a "morphospecies" id - i.e. "that's what it's being called for now!" - until such time as someonw gets to describe and name the species.
IGMHK is added at the start of the coded field to indicated the name is used in the forthcoming Illustrated Guide to the Moths of Hong Kong
For example, this observation of an unidentified (likely undescribed) tineid - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152009622 - is given the morphospecies code
IGMHK "Thisizima sp. D" (Hong Kong) - look down near the bottom of the right data column, under "Observation Fields"
Why sp. D ?
well, the first three Thisizima species (A, B & C) are now accounted for by two species descriptions (A & B are Thisizima fasciara and subceratella, C remains unidentified, but is no longer known as a Thisizima), so sp. D is the next in the sequence.
For some groups, the sequence goes beyond Z, continuing AA, AB, AC etc - the Phycitinae are up to AR, the Lecithoceridae to somthing a little beyond AA. Thankfully, most groups are better known, and there are shorter lists of morphospecies codes within each family !!
I hope that clears the fog of confusion a little.
Further Reading
Sigovini et al., 2016 is a most useful deep dive on the issue of "open nomenclature"
open access at https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/2041-210X.12594
less ↑
Hong Kong Moths 香港蛾類
