Chapter F of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants as approved by the 11th International Mycological Congress, San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 2018.

A revised version of Chapter F of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants is presented, incorporating amendments approved by the Fungal Nomenclature Session of the 11th International Mycological Congress held in San Juan, Puerto Rico in July 2018. The process leading to the amendments is outlined. Key changes in the San Juan Chapter F are (1) removal of option to use a colon to indicate the sanctioned status of a name, (2) introduction of correctability for incorrectly cited identifiers of names and typifications, and (3) introduction of option to use name identifiers in place of author citations. Examples have been added to aid the interpretation of new Articles and Recommendations, and Examples have also been added to the existing Art. F.3.7 concerning the protection extended to new combinations based on sanctioned names or basionyms of sanctioned names (which has been re-worded), and to Art. F.3.9 concerning typification of names accepted in the sanctioning works.

INTRODUCTION

Chapter F of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Code) is the section of the Code that brings together provisions that deal solely with names of organisms treated as fungi. Chapter F was an innovation in the Shenzhen Code (Turland et al. 2018). Furthermore, Division III of the Shenzhen Code, the Provisions for Governance, included new procedures for amending Chapter F, so that proposals relating to the content of Chapter F are decided on by the Fungal Nomenclature Session (FNS) of an International Mycological Congress (IMC) (Hawksworth et al. 2017). The FNS of the 11th IMC was held on 19 July 2018. The revised version of Chapter F resulting from proposals accepted at this FNS is presented here, referred to as the San Juan Chapter F. The online version of the Shenzhen Code will be amended so that its Chapter F becomes the San Juan Chapter F, with new and edited material marked as such.

The San Juan Chapter F supersedes Chapter F of the Shenzhen Code. The rules of the San Juan Chapter F became effective immediately upon acceptance of the resolution at the closing plenary session of the 11th International Mycological Congress (IMC11) on 21 July 2018, that the decisions and appointments of its Fungal Nomenclature Session be approved. Previous Codes have been translated into various languages. If the San Juan Chapter F is translated into other languages, the English version will be definitive in questions about the meaning of provisions in any translations.

AMENDING CHAPTER F

Seven formal proposals to amend Chapter F of the Shenzhen Code were published in IMA Fungus, the journal of the International Mycological Association, on 1 April 2018 (Hawksworth 2018). A synopsis of these proposals, with comments by the Secretary (T.W. May) and Deputy Secretary (S.A. Redhead) of the Fungal Nomenclature Bureau, was published in IMA Fungus on 23 May 2018 (May and Redhead 2018). This synopsis served as the basis for the preliminary guiding vote that was held online, opening on 22 May 2018 and closing on 17 June 2018. As specified by Division III of the Shenzhen Code, participation in the guiding vote was extended to (1) authors of proposals, (2) members of the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi (NCF), (3) members of the International Mycological Association (IMA), and of its Member Mycological Organizations (MMOs), and (4) members of four additional organizations that were nominated by the Fungal Nomenclature Bureau. Results of the guiding vote were published in IMA Fungus on 13 July 2018 (May and Miller 2018). That report also included two further proposals, and in total 11 “proposals from the floor” were received prior to the commencement of the Fungal Nomenclature Session.

The Fungal Nomenclature Session met on 19 July 2018 in Room 201, Puerto Rico Convention Center, San Juan, Puerto Rico, during the main part of IMC11 held at the same Congress Centre from 16 to 21 July 2018. Any person registered for the day of the Congress on which the FNS was held was entitled to attend and vote; 149 such persons attended the FNS. Officers of the FNS, appointed in conformity with Division III of the Shenzhen Code, were Amy Rossman (Corvallis, USA, Chair), Tom W. May (Melbourne, Australia, Secretary), Scott A. Redhead (Ottawa, Canada, Deputy Secretary), Lorenzo Lombard (Utrecht, The Netherlands, Recorder), and five Deputy Chairs, David L. Hawksworth (London, UK, Deputy Chair Emeritus), Meredith Blackwell (Columbia, USA), Pedro Crous (Utrecht, The Netherlands), Karen Hughes (Knoxville, USA), and Yu Li (Changchun, China; in absentia). In addition, Nicholas J. Turland (Berlin, Germany), Rapporteur-général for the 2023 International Botanical Congress (IBC), attended as a non-voting advisor to the FNS, on the invitation of the International Mycological Association.

Procedures in the lead up to and during the FNS closely followed those of the Nomenclature Section of an IBC, except that during the FNS there were no “institutional” votes. Discussions of the FNS were held in English, and were recorded. The full proceedings of the San Juan FNS will form a separate publication, planned for early 2020, following the tradition of providing transcriptions of the proceedings of Nomenclature Sections of IBCs (e.g. Flann et al. 2014 for the Melbourne IBC).

An Editorial Committee for each Code is elected by the Nomenclature Section of the corresponding IBC. For Chapter F, it was desirable to mirror this process, and a proposal to amend Division III to make specific reference to an Editorial Committee for Fungi was put forward at the San Juan FNS. However, at the FNS this proposal was considered to be outside of the mandate of the FNS (see below). Instead, an ad hoc Editorial Committee for Fungi, as allowed under Div. III Prov. 5.2(e) and 8.1, was proposed and approved by the FNS at the beginning of the session prior to voting on individual proposals. Composition of the Editorial Committee for Fungi is Tom W. May (Melbourne, Australia, Secretary Fungal Nomenclature Bureau), Scott A. Redhead (Ottawa, Canada, Deputy Secretary Fungal Nomenclature Bureau), Konstanze Bensch (The Netherlands/Germany), David Hawksworth (London, UK, Deputy Chair Emeritus Fungal Nomenclature Bureau), James C. Lendemer (New York, USA), Lorenzo Lombard (Utrecht, The Netherlands), and Nicholas J. Turland (Berlin, Germany, Rapporteur-général of the 2023 IBC, Chair Editorial Committee). Membership is as approved by the FNS with addition of Lombard and Lendemer, who were elected by the Editorial Committee for Fungi after the Congress.

According to the Preface of the Shenzhen Code, the Editorial Committee has a mandate to “deal with matters specifically referred to it, to incorporate into the new Code the changes agreed by the Section, to clarify any ambiguous wording so long as the meaning is not changed, to ensure consistency and optimal placement of provisions while retaining the present numbering insofar as possible, and to add (or remove) Examples to best illustrate the provisions”. The Editorial Committee for Fungi proceeded as if with the same mandate; knowing that their work would be reviewed in due course by the Editorial Committee for the Shenzhen Code.

The “Report of Congress action on nomenclature proposals relating to fungi”, detailing the committees and officers appointed by the IMC and the results of the proposals was published in IMA Fungus on 9 November 2018 (May et al. 2018). This publication reported that, of the seven published proposals to amend Chapter F of the Shenzhen Code, two were accepted and two were referred to the Editorial Committee for Fungi; an additional proposal was accepted from among 11 new proposals made from the floor of the FNS. Five proposals (three introduced from the floor) were referred to two Special-purpose Committees, established by the FNS.

At the San Juan FNS, seven of the proposals from the floor related to governance, as covered in Division III. It was realized that these proposals were likely to be outside of the current mandate extended to the IMC, which is limited to “proposals relating to the content of Chapter F” (Div. III Prov. 8.1). Consequently, four of the seven proposals were withdrawn by their proposers and three were rejected. One such proposal concerned establishment of an “Editorial Committee for Fungi” (see above), the others related to the guiding vote. As discussed in the report on Congress actions (May et al. 2018) an opinion will be sought from the General Committee as to whether or not proposals to modify Division III (in relation to procedures restricted to mycological matters) can be dealt with at an IMC, or must be considered at an IBC.

A first draft of the San Juan Chapter F, incorporating the changes approved at IMC11, was prepared by TWM in October 2018, and distributed to the Editorial Committee for Fungi. After a number of rounds of discussion and editing, a draft was provided in late August 2019 to the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi and, as required by Div. III Prov. 8.10, to the Editorial Committee. Several weeks of intense discussion ensued, and a final draft was submitted to IMA Fungus on 9 September 2019.

We note that it was impractical for the Editorial Committee for Fungi to meet by teleconference due to the geographic spread of members (and consequent spread of time zones), and therefore all discussions were by e-mail. We recommend a face-to-face meeting of the Editorial Committee for Fungi as soon as possible after the FNS of the Amsterdam IMC in 2022, and consider that such a meeting would be beneficial in the expeditious preparation of a developed draft of the “Amsterdam Chapter F”.

The Editorial Committee for a given Code has in the past ceased active work once the relevant Code has been published. We note that members of the Editorial Committee were available and engaged positively at the final stage of revisions of the San Juan Chapter F. They will also need to be involved in four years hence, after the Amsterdam IMC, should any changes to the San Juan Chapter F be accepted at that Congress.

AMENDMENTS TO CHAPTER F

Four new Articles and one new Recommendation have been inserted in the San Juan Chapter F, and a number of other Articles and Recommendations and a Note have been partially or substantially re-worded (Tables 1 and 2). New Examples have been provided in the new Articles and Recommendation, and Examples have also been added to a number of existing provisions. In comparison to Chapter F of the Shenzhen Code, existing provisions did not require re-numbering but some existing Examples required re-numbering due to insertion of new Examples. None of the new provisions is date-limited, and therefore they are retroactive (Principle VI). The new material is summarized at the head of the San Juan Chapter F (Appendix). We present here some further comments on the new material, and on two Articles that were the subject of an unsuccessful proposal, arranged in the order in which they appear in the San Juan Chapter F.

Table 1

List of changes to Articles, Notes, Recommendations and footnotes in the San Juan Chapter F

Numbering adopted in the San Juan Chapter F is used. No existing provisions needed re-numbering but some Examples were re-numbered.
Art. F.3.2	Example added (Ex. 1)
Art. F.3.4	Example added (Ex. 5)
Art. F.3.7	reworded for clarity; Examples added (Ex. 8 and 9)
Art. F.3.9 and Note 2	Examples added (Ex. 10 and 11)
Rec. F.3A.1	significant revision; removal of colon as indicator of sanctioning (and Examples throughout Chapter F edited to conform)
Rec. F.3A.1 footnote	reworded to reflect revised version of Rec. F.3A.1
Art. F.5.1	Examples added (Ex. 2 and 3)
Art. F.5.2	new footnote; concerning identifiers for orthographical corrections
Art. F.5.4	minor revision; added “for the type designation” after identifier
Art. F.5 Note 4	minor revision; added “or guarantee” after constitute, to mirror Art. F.5 Note 1
Art. F.5.6–5.8	new; concerning incorrectly cited identifiers; Examples added (Ex. 4 and 5)
Rec. F.5A.1	some minor revisions and new clause (c); authors should lodge electronic versions (such as PDFs) of publications with repositories
Rec. F.5A.2	minor revisions; deleted “accession”
Art. F.10	new; use of identifier in place of author citation
Rec. F.10A	as above; Example added (Ex. 1)

Table 2

Summary of changes incorporated in the San Juan Chapter F

In each case, the full wording of each Article, Note, Recommendation, Example and footnote should be consulted.

• Art. F.3.7 reworded for clarity and Examples added concerning protection extended to names in sanctioning works used in new combinations.

• Selection of the type of a name adopted in one of the sanctioning works remains a choice among elements associated with the protologue and/or the sanctioning treatment [Art. F.3.9]. Wording unchanged, but Examples added.

• Sanctioning should be indicated only by “nom. sanct.” (the “:” option was removed) [Rec. F.3A].

• Repositories assign new identifiers for names with corrected orthography [footnote to Art. F.5.2].

• Errors in citation of identifiers are correctible, as long as the identifier was issued prior to publication of the nomenclatural novelty or typification [Art. F.5.6, Art. F.5.8].

• Subsequent validations of names associated with incorrectly cited identifiers are later isonyms and may be disregarded (as long as the identifier was issued for the isonym prior to its publication). Consequence of Art F.5.6.

• A new identifier must be obtained when validating a designation (an “invalid name”), even when that designation is associated with an existing identifier [Art. F.5.7].

• Authors are encouraged to provide electronic versions (such as PDFs) of publications containing nomenclatural novelties and typifications to the repository that issued the relevant identifiers [Rec. F.5A.1].

• Identifier issued for a name may be used in place of an author citation — but authors of a new name, a new combination, a name at a new rank, or a replacement name must still be cited in a protologue [Art. F.10, Rec. F.10A].

Art. F.3.7 is conceded to be one of the more difficult Articles of the Code to comprehend on first acquaintance. There was no formal proposal to alter the Article, but the Editorial Committee for Fungi, in consultation with the Editorial Committee, revised the Article to make it more comprehensible. It would seem simplest to state that, within a given rank below genus, when sanctioned names are combined in new combinations protected status is retained over earlier non-sanctioned names (as long as the sanctioned names are available for the required combinations). However, “sanctioned names” are strictly names as they appear when accepted in the sanctioning works. Therefore, when a sanctioned name is a combination, its basionym is not itself sanctioned (despite use in the past of the term “sanctioned basionym”). Hence the device in Art. F.3.7 of referring to a name that “has the same type and final epithet as a sanctioned name” to cover names that are combinations based on sanctioned names or based on the basionyms of sanctioned names. Two Examples have been included to demonstrate the application of the Article.

There were two proposals to amend Art. F.3.9, concerning typification in relation to sanctioned names (Proposals F-001 and F-002, proposed by Luis A. Parra and Juan C. Zamora in Hawksworth 2018). The intent of the proposals, in particular the first, was to allow neotypifications of sanctioned names to stand when such neotypifications were carried out despite elements from the context of the sanctioning work being available. The proposals were rejected, and Art. F.3 Note 2 referred to the Editorial Committee. After considering the Note, the Editorial Committee for Fungi decided that the current wording carried the intended meaning. Thus, where neotypifications have been undertaken in relation to types of names adopted in the sanctioning works, but there are elements associated with the context of the sanctioning work (such as cited illustrations or references to works that contain illustrations) that are suitable for selection as lectotypes, these neotypifications must be set aside (Art. 9.19), and lectotypification should be carried out. In this circumstance, if it is desired to maintain a particular usage, former neotypes may be selected as epitypes if they are not in conflict with the lectotype.

When it is appropriate to indicate the sanctioned status of a name, this is now recommended to be only by use of “nom. sanct.” (Rec. F.3A). The term “nom. sanct.” should be attached only to names accepted by sanctioning authors as they appear in the sanctioning works (i.e. “sanctioned names”). The term “nom. sanct.” should be attached neither to new combinations based on sanctioned names (where they are basionyms), nor to basionyms of sanctioned names (when the sanctioned name is a combination), nor to any combinations based on the basionym of a name that is sanctioned that are not themselves sanctioned. Use of “nom. sanct.” therefore parallels use of “nom. cons.”, which is attached to a name as conserved. Examples in the San Juan Chapter F that involve sanctioned names have all been edited in conformity with the new Rec. F.3A. The online version of the Shenzhen Code will reflect these changes in the San Juan Chapter F, but outside of Chapter F it retains the former indication of sanctioning (the abbreviation of the sanctioning author following a colon). After the next IBC, entries in the remainder of the Code that involve sanctioned names will be updated in conformity with the San Juan Chapter F, replacing the colon method by “nom. sanct.”.

Several new provisions were added in Art. F.5 concerning aspects of the registration of names and nomenclatural acts. Art. F.5.6 and Art. F.5.8 are new and provide for correctability of incorrectly cited identifiers. The new Art. F.5.7 specifies that where a designation (an “invalid name”) has been introduced in association with an identifier, a new identifier must be obtained when validly publishing the former designation. Because Art. F.5.6 is not date-limited, it is retroactive (Principle VI), and consequently subsequent validations of names associated with incorrectly cited identifiers are later isonyms and may be disregarded (Art. 6 Note 2).

In relation to the practice of repositories recognized under Art. F.5.3, it is useful to distinguish the “issuing” of an identifier, in cases where a recognized repository issues an identifier to an author so that the author can comply with Art. F.5.1 or Art. F.5.4, from the “assigning” of an identifier, in situations where a repository assigns an identifier for internal database purposes, such as when adding to the repository a designation published without an identifier, or when making an orthographical correction. In the latter situation, the corrected version of the name is assigned a new identifier. The assigning of a new identifier to orthographical variants is not a Code-governed event, and is therefore not referred to under any Articles. However, a footnote has been added to Art. F.5.2 noting the practice of assigning new identifiers to names with corrected orthography.

Rec. F.5A.1 was enlarged, with a new clause , to encourage authors of names to provide electronic versions of their publications to recognized repositories.

The new Art. F.10 permits use of the identifier issued for a name by a recognized repository to be used in place of an author citation, subsequent to the valid publication of the name. The form specified is to cite the numerical portion of the identifier preceded by the # symbol, all enclosed in square brackets (Rec. F.10A). Nevertheless, when introducing names of new taxa, new combinations, names at new ranks, and replacement names conventional author citation is still to be used. It is important to note that while identifiers are issued by recognized repositories (currently three), data held by repositories, including identifiers, are shared on a regular basis. Therefore, when using an identifier in place of an author citation, the link may be to any repository that contains the required information.

GLOSSARY AND APPENDICES

There are no modifications to the Glossary. The seven Appendices of the Code are currently available by querying an online database hosted by the Department of Botany at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, USA (https://naturalhistory2.si.edu/botany/codes-proposals/), maintained by John H. Wiersema. The Appendices consist of lists of conserved and rejected names, suppressed works and binding decisions that are added to as a result of: (1) consideration of proposals to conserve and reject, requests for binding decisions and requests to suppress works by Specialist Committees such as the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi (Div. III Prov. 7) in concert with the General Committee, and (2) consideration of lists of names for protection or rejection submitted under Art. F.2 or Art. F.7 (although no lists have yet been submitted under the latter provision). Final approval of material in the Appendices rests with an IBC, even when involving names of fungi or works exclusively devoted to fungi.

FORMATTING AND STANDARDS

The San Juan Chapter F follows the formatting and standards used in the other sections of the Code. Further information on formatting and the citation of names of authors and bibliographic citations can be found in the Preface to the Shenzhen Code (pp. xxiii-xxiv). Recommendations and Notes are set in smaller type than the Articles, and the Examples and footnotes in smaller type than the Recommendations and Notes. These type sizes reflect the distinction between mandatory rules (Articles), complementary information or advice (Notes and Recommendations), and explanatory material (Examples and footnotes). Notes have binding effect but, unlike Articles, do not introduce any new provision or concept. Examples are distinguished, in addition to the smaller font size, by being indented.

THE FUNGAL NOMENCLATURE SESSION AT IMC12 AND NEW PROPOSALS TO AMEND CHAPTER F

The International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants is amended by authority of the International Botanical Congress (IBC) except that its Chapter F is amended by authority of the International Mycological Congress (IMC); the San Juan Chapter F is the first such amendment. Provisions for the amendment of the Code can be found in its Division III, including specific provisions relating to amendments of Chapter F, which are dealt with at the Fungal Nomenclature Session of an IMC. The next International Mycological Congress, the twelfth (IMC12), will take place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands from 25 to 29 July 2022, with its Fungal Nomenclature Session held during this time. Proposals to amend the San Juan Chapter F may be published in IMA Fungus starting in 2020 and ending in early 2022. In early 2020, a notice will appear in IMA Fungus including an announcement that the journal will accept proposals and instructions on procedure and format. Proposals that are not submitted within the specified time frame cannot be included in the guiding vote. It is highly desirable that proposals are published well in advance of the IMC, to allow sufficient time for debate among the mycological community, and preparation of refinements or counter-proposals. Two Special-purpose Committees were established by the San Juan IMC: on “DNA sequences as Types for Fungi” and on “Names of Fungi with the Same Epithet”. These Committees will report to the Amsterdam IMC and are still in the process of being set up. Committee members will be appointed by the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi in consultation with the General Committee, and the membership will be announced in a report of the NCF, appearing in IMA Fungus.