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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol. 11, No. 5

Publication Date: October 25, 2023

DOI:10.14738/aivp.115.15347

Maxwell, S. J. (2023). Taxonomic Murder and Ethical Practice: A Reply to Alf and Wieneke (2023) on the Taxonomic State of Lambis

vertriesti Dekkers & Maxwell, 2022 (Neostromboidae; Strombidae) and a Range Extension for that Species. European Journal of

Applied Sciences, Vol - 11(5). 46-48.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Taxonomic Murder and Ethical Practice: A Reply to Alf and

Wieneke (2023) on the Taxonomic State of Lambis vertriesti

Dekkers & Maxwell, 2022 (Neostromboidae; Strombidae) and a

Range Extension for that Species

Stephen J. Maxwell

James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia

ABSTRACT

Lambis vertriesti ranges from the Philippines into Indonesia. Significant

morphological features differentiate L. vertriesti from Lambis lambis and the

synonymisation of those species by Alf and Wienke (2023) is unwarranted. Lambis

species in general are highly plastic in form, and therefore comparative studies

should be based on type material for accuracy. The use of a regionalised form that

is morphologically incompatible with the type is to be considered theoretically

unsound as it fails to consider what was the original author’s taxonomic intention.

Keywords: Taxonomic Ethics, Indonesia, Lambis vertriesti, Range Extension, Strombus

Within this paper I address the three issues raised by Alf and Wieneke [1]. The first pertains to

a range extension of Lambis vertriesti Dekkers & Maxwell, 2022 identified that that paper. The

second is the threat of taxonomy by decree posed by unsupported synonymising of L. vertriesti

by Alf and Wieneke [1]. Finally, I address some theoretical issues on the use of types and

conceptuality.

First, the illustration of the Lambis vertriesti from Indonesia by Alf and Wieneke [1] on plate 2

constitutes a range extension for that taxon and supports its species status by demonstrating a

further example to provide substantive evidence of a stable organism morphospace across a

larger range. Range extensions are not uncommon for species once they are circumscribed and

collections are examined.

Second, it is the role of the taxonomist to present evidence-based hypotheses to highlight the

biological diversity presented before them. Descriptions of taxa are testable; however, it is a

theoretical error to disregard a hypothesis through the creation of a conflation of two distinctly

different character states to generate a false equivalence. In the Alf and Wieneke [1] article

there is a call to synonymise L. vertriesti with Lambis lambis (Linné, 1758) based on the “Lambis

lambis is always without lirae in the aperture” as noted in the comparative remarks of Dekkers

and Maxwell [2], this is clearly a continuum fallacy. Notwithstanding, Dekkers and Maxwell [2]

illustrated in figure 1a, the Lectotype of L. lambis, and this shell does not have lirae in the

aperture (Figure 1), and Dekkers and Maxwell [2] therefore, did not err in their character

observation of L. lambis having a smooth aperture. Furthermore, L. vertriesti has the character

essence of especially well-developed lirae on the upper columella. This is clearly observable in

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47

Maxwell, S. J. (2023). Taxonomic Murder and Ethical Practice: A Reply to Alf and Wieneke (2023) on the Taxonomic State of Lambis vertriesti Dekkers

& Maxwell, 2022 (Neostromboidae; Strombidae) and a Range Extension for that Species. European Journal of Applied Sciences, Vol - 11(5). 46-48.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.115.15347

the L. vertriesti illustrated from Indonesia by Alf and Wieneke [1] on plate 2, and not evidenced

in any of the purported L. lambis on their plates 1 and 3 (Figure 1).

Figure 1: The upper apertures of Lambis species showing differences in form and liration:

A) lectotype of Strombus millipeda Linné, 1758 (G-M 0010272 -

https://www.linnean.org/research-collections/linnaean-collections);

B) The holotype of Lambis vertriesti Dekkers and Maxwell, 2022;

C) the novel Lambis (Alf and Wieneke 2023, plate 1); and

D) the lectotype of Strombus lambis Linné, 1758 showing the aperture without lirae

(https://www.linnean.org/research-collections/linnaean-collection).

Alf and Wieneke [1] failed to grasp a philosophical point that a species is a testable hypothesis

that seeks to assist in explaining the way we see the world. To enable the natural world's full

diversity to be described taxonomists need to be outside the species conceptional restricted

bounds such as the phylogenetic concepts that Alf and Wieneke [1] seek to promote [3]. With

this in mind, the type has a very important role in acting as the collective representative

semaphoront. Types therefore serve a particular purpose, that of providing the exemplar from

which the hypotheses are formulated, often through morphological diagnosis. Therefore,

choosing a population, that has a small distribution, with morphologically fixed characters, and

is arguably a new species to stand for the type of a taxon, as demonstrated by Alf and Wieneke

[1], is to be considered unorthodox.

Dekkers and Maxwell [2] have provided the hypothesis that is L. vertriesti, and it is hoped in

time that this will be tested in many ways for robustness, and this includes the use of genetic

evidence. However, it is premature to call for the synonymisation of L. vertriesti without

presenting that evidence or providing other material which refutes its validity. With this in

mind, it must be considered that the Alf and Wieneke [1] synonymisation argument based on

one character feature commented on in the circumscriptive remarks by Dekkers and Maxwell

[2] is to be considered quite outside the spirit of the sound scientific practice and reveals their

conceptional understanding of L. vertriesti is opaque. Robust evidence is needed before calling

for taxonomic change and reducing our understanding of the natural world. Alf and Wieneke

[1] seek by their paper to rule by taxonomic decree, which is most inappropriate. I ask Alf and

Wieneke [1] the taxonomic question: “why is it necessary to synonymise a species because of

its hypothesised recent evolutionary pathway?”

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European Journal of Applied Sciences (EJAS) Vol. 11, Issue 5, October-2023

References

[1] Alf, A. and U. Wieneke, An interesting form of Lambis lambis (LINNAEUS, 1758) and remarks on Lambis

vertriesti Dekkers & Maxwell, 2022. Conchylia, 2023. 54 (1-2): p. 43-48.

[2] Dekkers, A.M. and S.J. Maxwell, A new endemic species of Lambis Röding, 1798 from the Philippines

(Mollusca: Neostromboidea: Strombidae). European Journal of Applied Sciences, 2022. 10 (1): p. 393-400.

[3] Maxwell, S.J., Congdon, B.C. and T. Rymer, Essentialistic pluralism: The theory of spatio-temporal

positioning of species using integrated taxonomy. Proceedings of The Royal Society of Queensland, 2020.

124: p. 1-24