Short Communication: Dracolestes Goin, Candela, Abello and Oliveira 2009 is a nomen nudum

GOIN FJ; CANDELA AM; ABELLO MA; OLIVEIRA EV; ORTIZ-JAUREGUIZAR E

JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY

SOC VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY

Lugar: Lawrence; Año: 2012 vol. 35 p. 1212 - 1213

0272-4634

Goin et al. (2009) described the oldest Paucituberculata marsupials from the Las Flores and La Barda localities of Argentina (late Palaeocene, and early?middle Eocene), as well as fromthe Itaboraí Basin of Brazil (late Palaeocene). The new taxa, represented by very scarce, although well-preserved, dental remains were named Riolestes capricornicus, Bardalestes hunco,Bardalestes sp., and Dracolestes sp. They identified the specimen MLP 90-II-5-300 as Dracolestes sp. (Goin et al., 2009: table 1, p. 871), and designated Dracolestes as a plesion of the Order Paucituberculata (Goin et al., 2009:table 3, p. 879). However, MLP 90-II-5-300, identified by Goin et al. (2009) as an isolated right talonid, was illustrated and named Bardalestes sp. in figure 2E?F (p. 869). This specimen, as well as MLP 90-II-5-336, MLP 90-II-5-335, MLP 90-II-5-337, were the four referred specimens of Bardalestes sp. (p. 873), and were describedon pages 873?874 of Goin et al. (2009). According to the above-mentioned evidence, the name Dracolestes Goin, Candela, Abello, and Oliveira, 2009, fails to conform to Article 13 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN, 2000), because Dracolestes was not ?. . .accompanied by a description or definition that states in words characters that are purported to differentiate the taxon? (Art. 13.1.1; ICZN, 2000). Dracolestes is a nomen nudum and, consequently, is not an available name. Notwithstanding, Dracolestes ?. . . may be made available later for the same or a different concept; in such a case it would take authorship and date[Arts. 50, 21] from that act of establishment, not from any earlier publication as a nomen nudum? (ICZN, 2000:glossary).