Euscorpius (magazine)
| Euscorpius. Occasional Publications in Scorpiology
|
|
|---|---|
| description | American arachnological journal |
| Area of Expertise | Scorpions |
| language | English |
| Headquarters | Huntington, West Virginia |
| First edition | December 14, 2001 |
| Frequency of publication | irregular |
| editor | Victor E. Fet and Michael E. Soleglad |
| Web link | www.science.marshall.edu/fet/euscorpius/ |
| Article archive | 2001 - today |
| ISSN (online) | 1536-9307 |
Euscorpius. Occasional Publications in Scorpiology is a US American journal on scorpion biology thathas been published online since 2001. It iseditedby arachnologists Victor E. Fet and Michael E. Soleglad of Marshall University in Huntington , West Virginia , and appears irregularly. 254 issues had appeared by the end of 2017.
Self-presentation
According to the editors, Euscorpius is the first and only scientific journal devoted exclusively to scorpions . From 2001 to 2017 there were 254 issues with a length of three to 175 pages, written by around 150 authors from more than 30 countries. During this period, the first descriptions of more than 200 species and more than a dozen genera of scorpions from over 50 countries were published. There were also publications on the taxonomy of scorpions, some of which had very far-reaching effects. Among the authors, in addition to the editors Soleglad and Fet, with more than fifty contributions each as author or co-author, František Kovařík stands out with more than 70 publications.
Euscorpius claims to use the possibilities of an online medium for rapid publication while maintaining high scientific standards. The magazine cites the systematics, evolution , ecology , biogeography , behavior and general biology of the scorpions as examples of suitable topics and advertises initial descriptions, faunistic studies, inventories of zoological collections and book reviews. Incoming contributions are subjected to an anonymous peer review .
The name of the magazine is derived from Euscorpius Thorell , 1876 , a genus of scorpions from the family Euscorpiidae that is widespread in Europe .
Rules of zoological nomenclature
The International Rules for Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) contain strict guidelines for the form of valid publications. Adhering to them is a basic requirement in order to be able to issue valid initial descriptions and other publications with effects on the zoological nomenclature. Until 2012, online publications were not allowed. Therefore, Euscorpius was published in two identical versions at the same time, online and on CD-ROM, each with its own ISSN . Only the CD-ROMs deposited with the Zoological Record , the US Library of Congress and in the libraries of a dozen natural history museums around the world are considered publications for the purposes of the ICZN.
In 2012, Article 8 and some other articles of the International Rules for Zoological Nomenclature were amended. Electronic publications have been permitted since 2012, but publications on CD-ROM have not been allowed since 2013. Since January 2013, Euscorpius appears exclusively online. In order to guarantee the permanent availability required by the ICZN, Euscorpius is stored in two electronic archives, at ZooBank and on a server at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.
controversy
In December 2003 the editors of Euscorpius , Michael E. Soleglad and Victor E. Fet , published a revision of the taxa of the scorpions above the genus in the 175-page number 11 of the journal, which is the most extensive to date . According to their own information, they had carried out a comprehensive cladistic , morphological analysis of 150 recent species of scorpions from 90 genera and all families. The numerous changes they carried out on the levels from subtribes to small orders (parvordo), which included the synonymization of several families , led to fierce criticism from specialist colleagues.
The changes made to the taxonomy of scorpions by Soleglad and Fet were reversed two years later by arachnologists Lorenzo Prendini and Ward C. Wheeler of the American Museum of Natural History in an article for the journal Cladistics . The article was published in October 2005 under the title "Higher phylogenetics and classification of scorpions, taxonomic anarchy and standards for peer review in online media" ( English Scorpion higher phylogeny and classification, taxonomic anarchy, and standards for peer review in online publishing ) . Prendini and Wheeler accused their colleagues not only of serious deficiencies in the methodology and evaluation of their analysis, but also of using criteria that were based on the anticipation of desired results. They rejected all changes made by the arachnologists around Soleglad and Fet since 2001 to the higher taxonomy of scorpions. They combined their criticism with the statement that Soleglads and Fets taxonomic changes had not withstood a peer review in a recognized scientific journal. The bad science demonstrated in the criticized publication and subsequent editions of Euscorpius reinforces the need to establish quality control in the growing field of online media. Prendini and Wheeler emphasized the importance of peer review for scientific publishing. An essential prerequisite for an effective peer review is the independence of the reviewers. This is not guaranteed if a scientist is the editor of his own publications.
Both the changes to the taxonomy by Soleglad and Fet in 2003 and their withdrawal by Prendini and Wheeler became effective with their publication. Just two months later, in December 2005, Euscorpius number 31 appeared . In this edition Soleglad and Fet reiterated their changes from 2003 and criticized for their part that Prendini and Wheeler had synonymized 37 higher taxa of the scorpions and made further serious changes to the taxonomy without any research of their own . They revoked Prendini's and Wheeler's amendments altogether as unfounded.
Formally, the last publication is decisive, i.e. the taxonomy according to Soleglad and Fet. However, the arachnologist community is divided. A group around Soleglad and Fet, which primarily publishes in Euscorpius , is opposed to numerous arachnologists who do not recognize Soleglads and Fets taxonomy and who publish their research results in other journals. In recent years, the synonymizations made by Soleglad and Fet of some families of scorpions in initial descriptions of species and other publications have been repeatedly ignored. A solution to the conflict is not in sight, while Euscorpius continues to appear with around 20 issues a year.
Web links
- Euscorpius. Occasional Publications in Scorpiology. List of Publications , website of the magazine "Euscorpius", with download links for all issues.
- Biotaxa , archive of editions from No. 157, according to the International Rules for Zoological Nomenclature.
- Marshall University , Archive of All Issues.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Euscorpius. Occasional Publications in Scorpiology , Euscorpius website , accessed December 28, 2017.
- ^ A b International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature: International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Fourth edition. Incorporating Declaration 44, amendments of Article 74.7.3, with effect from 31 December 1999 and the Amendment on e-publication, amendments to Articles 8, 9, 10, 21 and 78, with effect from 1 January 2012 . Online ( Memento of the original from May 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Articles 8 and 9.
- ↑ a b ICZN compliance of electronic publications , Euscorpius website , accessed December 28, 2017.
- ↑ International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature: Amendment of Articles 8, 9, 10, 21 and 78 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature to expand and refine methods of publication . In: ZooKeys 2012, Volume 219, pp. 1-10, doi : 10.3897 / zookeys.219.3944 .
- ↑ Michael E. Soleglad and Victor Fet: High-level systematics and phylogeny of the extant scorpions (Scorpiones: Orthosterni). In: Euscorpius 2003, No. 11, p. 1, Online PDF , 37.5 MB.
- ^ A b Lorenzo Prendini and Ward C. Wheeler: Scorpion higher phylogeny and classification, taxonomic anarchy, and standards for peer review in online publishing. In: Cladistics 2005, Volume 21, No. 5, pp. 446-494, Online PDF , 1.8 MB.
- ^ Victor Fet and Michael E. Soleglad: Contributions to scorpion systematics. I. On recent changes in high-level taxonomy. In: Euscorpius 2005, No. 31, pp. 1–13, online PDF , 689 kB.
- ^ Higher taxonomy and phylogeny in scorpions , website The Scorpion Files , accessed December 28, 2017.
