On the use of type material and the importance of scrutiny (With comments by Martin Geerts)

The taxonomic dilemma of Symphysodon, the genus for the majestic discus fish, described as early as 1840 by the Austrian ichthyologist Johann Jakob Heckel and with only two species included, has generated such a confusion by the not very carefully prepared taxonomic papers that have dealt with it, that a detailed research and account of the history of the name and nomenclature acts involved was in order. In this article Willem Heijns has covered in a very clear and detailed way the problems involved with the specific names, and shed light on a solution to this dilemma, which is supported by the arguments presented by the cichlid taxonomy expert Martin Geerts

Article statistics: 4,312 words, 10 illustrations, 3,025 kb pdf size

This is a document for sale, you can get it in PDF (Portable Document Format) format sent by e-mail to you for 4.00 dollars, paid by PayPal. If you are one of the Cichlid Room Companion sponsors, you can get this article for free, just add your registered e-mail to the sponsor box and click on the submit button, you should receive your article in your mailbox within 15 minutes.