The availability, authorships and dates of tribal names in the Sigmodontinae (Rodentia, Cricetidae) current classification

Abstract

SIGMODONTINAE, a diverse subfamily including 106 genera of American Rodents, is currently divided in eleven tribes that still need to be refined based on recently generated phylogenetic hypotheses. Several published names of tribes do not conform to one or more Rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. In particular, the first arrangement of SIGMODONTINAE genera in tribes has been overlooked, the different requirements for availability of names proposed before 1931 and after 1930 were not taken into account for at least five names, the requirement that a family-group name be used as valid in the publication where proposed, and the unavailability of names proposed conditionally after 1960 were also ignored on several occasions. Our analysis tries to disclose and fix such nomenclatural problems keeping current usage as much as possible. A new name is proposed for a tribe that currently has been designated only by an unavailable name.