(2779) Proposal to conserve the name Aspleniopteris difformis (Comptonia difformis) against Phyllites comptoniifolius (fossil Myricaceae)
Abstrakt
The name Phyllites comptoniifolius Brongn. was recently rediscovered by Alexander Doweld as the earliest name for this Tertiary sweet-fern. Doweld used it in the new combination Comptonia comptoniifolia (Brongn.) Doweld (in Acta Palaeobot. 57: 223-232. 2017).
However, this new combination was established strictly on nomenclatural priority, with no regard for accepted paleobotanical practice and context. Therefore, although it is correct, itwill cause even more problems in current nomenclature, rather than creating order.
There is no publication containing, or researcher using, the name Comptonia comptoniifolia, except for the original paper by Doweld himself. This is exactly why the process of conservation is in place.
To avoid the disruption to taxonomic nomenclature that using Doweld's solution would cause, we propose to conserve the name Aspleniopteris difformis Sternb. (IDENTICAL TO Comptonia difformis (Sternb.) Berry) against Phyllites comptoniifolius Brongn. as neither that name nor its new combination Comptonia comptoniifolia (Brongn.) Doweld have ever been used in actual paleobotanical practice.