The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature

Abstract

his Fourth Edition of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature takes effect from 1 January 2000, and so leads zoological nomenclature into the third millennium; more modestly, and less roundly, it marks the 242nd anniversary of the formal starting point of the subject, the publication of the 10th edition of Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. The new edition of course builds on the predecessor which it supersedes, the third (1985) edition, which in turn was largely modelled on that of 1961. The preparation of this edition (like that, it has to be said, of the earlier ones) has taken far longer than planned or envisaged by any of those involved. However, we have the satisfaction of knowing that (thanks primarily to electronic mail) it is the result of wider and more intensive consultations than were ever possible before. This Code is more than a mere revision: as recounted by David Ride in the Introduction which follows, the new provisions permit an individual zoologist to take a number of actions to maintain the existing usage of names in circumstances which have until now required reference to the Commission, and we believe this will be widely (though not universally) welcomed. Conversely, in some ways the rules are now less permissive: there are additional criteria which must be met before a new name can become available.