Darevskia and Iberolacerta (Reptilia, Lacertidae): Arribas, 1997 or 1999? The correct dating of two nomenclatural acts affecting Palearctic lizards, and validation of the name Caucasilacerta Harris, Arnold & Thomas, 1998

Abstract

A doctoral thesis presented in the late 1990s by óscar J. Arribas has been frequently cited as the authority for the nomenclatural status of two generic names in the lizard family Lacertidae, Darevskia and Iberolacerta. These names were again introduced, along with the addition of the subgeneric name Pyrenesaura, in 1999 via publication in an international, peer-reviewed journal. We discuss nomenclatural aspects of how these taxon names were presented, detail inconsistencies in the use of publication dates associated with these names, and resolve nomenclatural problems by demonstrating that the date of their first publication, in compliance with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, was 1999. This renders the name Darevskia Arribas, 1999 a junior invalid synonym of Caucasilacerta Harris, Arnold & Thomas, 1998, which, contrary to previous assessment, is not a nomen nudum, and must replace Darevskia as the valid name for this genus.