Unavailable name
In zoology: a name that does not qualify as a formal scientific name / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In zoological nomenclature, an unavailable name is a name that does not conform to the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and that therefore is not available for use as a valid name for a taxon. Such a name does not fulfil the requirements in Articles 10 through 20 of the Code, or is excluded under Article 1.3.
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Unavailable names include names that have not been published, such as "Oryzomys hypenemus" and "Ubirajara jubatus",[1] names without an accompanying description (nomina nuda), such as the subgeneric name Micronectomys proposed for the Nicaraguan rice rat,[2] names proposed with a rank below that of subspecies (infrasubspecific names), such as Sorex isodon princeps montanus for a form of the taiga shrew,[3] and various other categories.
Despite the frequent confusion caused by common sense, an unavailable name is not necessarily a nomen nudum. A good examplification of this is the case of the unavailable dinosaur name "Ubirajara jubatus", which was assumed by common sense to be a nomen nudum before a detailed analysis of its nomenclatural status.[1]