Paranomenclature and the rules of Zoological Nomenclature with examples from fossil polychaete jaws (scolecodonts)

Names of zoological taxa are governed by a set of laws, the International C ode of Zoological Nomenclature or ICZN. In contrast to taxonomy, where deci sions are based on interpretations, the laws of nomenclature are explicit a nd must be obeyed. One of the consequences, as discussed herein, is that pa ranomenclature, that reflects parataxonomic classifications based on parts of organisms independently of other parts, is nor recognized under the ICZN and thus cannot be applied to formally diagnosed taxa. In the case of jawe d polychaete annelids, parataxonomic treatments of the jaw elements as well as ICZN-governed naming of the reconstructed apparatus has divided their f ossil record into separate but biologically overlapping groups of element-b ased and apparatus-based taxa. The independent treatment of groups created in this way has the potential for much confusion, if their names are used i n formal systematics. Other recommendations of ICZN for effective diagnosis and illustration should also be considered in proposing names within group s such as this, where paranomenclature has been customary in the past.