Quo Vadis Inspirations Whatever happened Kate Jones on bats to cladistics? and biodiversity Book reviews The giraffe’s long neck, neotropical Presidential Report savannas, and verte- Status and objectives of the brate phylogeny Systematics Association What is taxonomy’s unexamined impediment? The Systematics Association is committed to Editorial furthering all aspects of Systematic biology. It organ- ises a vigorous programme of international conferences on New beginnings special place in his heart for the key themes in Systematics, microscopic kinorhynchs. including a series of major Dear Readers, Marcello’s research interests span biennial conferences the gamut of deuterostomian diver- launched in 1997. The associ- This first issue of The Systematist in sity, including the evolution and ation also supports a variety 2007 features various new begin- phylogeny of primitive tetrapods, of training courses in system- nings. First, we would like to con- amphibians and amniotes, and the atics and awards grants in gratulate Professor Richard evolution of Palaeozoic echino- support of systematics Bateman on his appointment as the derms and the chordate-like sty- research. new President of the Systematics lophorans, and his focus ranges Membership is open to ama- Association. Long time active mem- from local studies of character evo- teurs and professionals with ber of the Association, Richard also lution to the broad phylogenetic interests in any branch of plays important roles in several aspects of the Permo-Triassic mass biology, including microbiolo- other scientific organizations, extinction. However, this new gy and palaeontology. including the Linnean Society and beginning is matched by a depar- Members are generally enti- the Biosciences Federation. If ture. tled to attend the confer- Richard’s involvement up to the pre- The Association extends its grati- ences at a reduced registra- sent is any guide at all, he will tude to departing co-editor Malte tion rate, to apply for grants undoubtedly lead the Association Ebach, whose innovating energy has from the Association and to with charisma and strength. To inau- served The Systematist well. Malte’s receive the Associations gurate his presidential term, he efforts have been instrumental in the newsletter, The Systematist reports in this issue on the current progressive anagenesis of this and mailings of information. status and objectives of the newsletter from humble beginnings, Systamatics Association. Naturally, through loosely stapled intermedi- For information on member- we heartily thank departing presi- ates, to its current glossy acme with ship, contact the Membership dent Barry Leadbeater for giving the ISSN number and citations in both Secretary, Dr G. Reid (mem- Association the benefit of his lead- the primary literature and printed [email protected]), ership over the past several years. media. Many thanks Malte for your Department of Botany, Second, the Association is initiative and your enthusiasm. Natural History Museum, strengthened by a cadre of enthusi- As usual, this issue is chockful of Cromwell Road, London, SW7 astic new council members, whose the customary interesting contribu- 5BD, U.K. expertise represents all domains of tions. However, before reading on, life, extinct and extant, and the full please visit the backpage of this The Systematist Newsletter of panoply of methods and approaches issue to find out how and when to the Systematics Association. of modern systematics. For bio- register for the fast approaching graphical synopses and selected 6th Biennial Meeting of Editors mugshots of this colourful bunch, the Systematics Ronald A. Jenner please visit our website at www.sys- Association in Edinburgh in Department of Biology and tass.org. August. With a full programme, Biochemistry, University of Third, this issue of The including three themed symposia Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, U.K. Systematist is the first to have bene- and very useful ‘how to’ talks on [email protected] fited from the dedication of a new contemporary techniques in system- co-editor, Dr. Marcello Ruta. atics, this meeting will offer much Marcello Ruta Marcello is based at the Department of value to both the fledglings and Department of Earth of Earth Sciences at the University sages of systematics. Of course, Sciences, University of Bristol, of Bristol. Marcello works as a there will also be beer. Wills Memorial Building, palaeontologist, but he reserves a Enjoy this issue of The Systematist. Queen’s Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, U.K. Cover illustrations: The daisy Gorteria diffusa and its habitat in Namaqua National Park, South Africa [email protected] (Copyright 2007 Meredith Murphy Thomas) The Systematist 2007 No. 28 2 Taxonomy’s unexamined impediment R. Wills Flowers Center for Biological Control, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA or many years taxonomy has been a sick patient with many well-wishers but no competent doctors. A sign of progress, if it can be called that, Fis that the hand-wringing over tax- onomy's dim outlook is no longer confined to taxonomists themselves. Worry has spread to ecologists, con- servation biologists, and even to the flagship journals Science and Nature. The decade of the 1990s was supposed to be a turning point when taxonomy would finally Figure 2. Number of new species of Neotropical Coleoptera described per year as receive the support it deserved to recorded in the Zoological Record, 1990-2004. (Trendline applied by Microsoft® Excel.) lead the effort to preserve Life on Inventories programs, the World www.biodiv.org), which is about as Earth. This was when the Bank Global Environmental Fund close as you can get to an interna- Biodiversity Crisis became the and some of its spin-offs like the tional mandate for a vastly expand- cause celebre and taxonomy was GBIF (Global Biodiversity ed taxonomic initiative. universally proclaimed the key to Information Facility) project, were Despite all this support, in the understanding and overcoming the all products of this decade. Nor past year we seem to be in the midst crisis. Taxonomy benefited from should we forget the numerous of another round of soul-searching some impressive initiatives during meetings, concept papers (such as over that perennial question of that time. The Costa Rica National Systematics Agenda 2000 [1994]), 'Whither Taxonomy?'. Although Biodiversity Inventory was founded and associated workshops that in some claim that a new rosy future and received substantial internation- aggregate consumed substantial beckons (Wheeler 2004, 2005), al support from both government amounts of time and resources to other indicators are decidedly less and private funders. Other initia- devise strategies for better improv- optimistic (Blackmore 1996, Brown tives, such as the National Science ing the status of taxonomy and doc- 2005, Stokstad 2005). Brian Foundation's PEET (Partnerships for umenting biodiversity. Finally, we Brown's (2005) article in American Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy), had the Convention on Biological Entomologist provides some sober- Tree of Life, and Biotic Surveys and Diversity (the Rio Convention; ing data on how the taxasphere has been meeting, or not meeting, the biodiversity challenge. Brown examined the status of the taxonomy of Neotropical Diptera over 7 years between 1997 and 2003 and found that, while there has been an unprecedented increase in numbers of specimens available for study, there has not been a concurrent upswing in the number of new species described. He attributed this to lack of support for Diptera tax- onomists. However, his data also suggest that a decade-long period of Figure 1. Number of new species of Neotropical Diptera described per year as record- ed in the Zoological Record, 1990-2004. (Trendline applied by Microsoft® Excel.) good publicity and substantial The Systematist 2007 No. 28 3 increases in funding have not trans- the way, despite two large and pro- the end of a decade's worth of lated into a commensurate leap for- ductive PEET grants for Neotropical increased support and generally ward in either our taxonomic knowl- beetles (Scarabaeidae favorable attention. edge of the world's biota or in the [http://www.museum.unl.edu/researc The Planetary Biodiversity long-term health of the profession of h/entomology/products.htm#Publica Initiative (Wheeler 2004, 2005) is taxonomy. Using different search tions], and Staphylinidae now the latest great hope for the criteria, Seberg (2004) found that [http://www.nhm.ku.edu/ashe/aleo/] 'taxonomic impediment'. But even if publication rates of taxonomic The data indicate that 15 years of the PBI produces the advertised works have been flat. initiatives, programs, speeches, flood of new species descriptions As a quick test of the generality white papers, and some substantial (1,000 species per year for 5 years), of Brown's (2005) data, I counted financial support have resulted in no it will still be only a small blip in new species descriptions in the significant change in the rate of the overall annual flow of taxonom- Zoological Record for Neotropical species discovery in two of the four ic publications. Recent recommen- Diptera from 1991 to 1997, extend- mega-diverse insect groups dations on how to 'fix' taxonomy ing Brown's data back to the begin- (Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, and attract more public support have ning of the 'Biodiversity Decade'. and Lepidoptera). If the taxonomic tended to focus on how to react to Also, I counted new species descrip- impediment were due solely to technological changes (Schram tions for Coleoptera from 1991 to underfunding, one would expect at 2004; Wheeler 2004, 2005). We are 2003. In theory, Coleoptera doesn't least a slight improvement toward told to embrace the Internet, use suffer from a relative lack of inter- ested taxonomists, as Brown feels is The Systematics Association Publications the case with Diptera. While Following the acquisition of CRC Press by Taylor restricting the analysis to the & Francis, Systematics Association book produc- Neotropical region is arbitrary, it is worth noting that this region has the tion operations have been transferred to the CRC two largest permanent tropical biol- Press offices in Florida.