nomen dubium

Translingual

Etymology

From Latin nomen (“name”) + dubium (“dubious”).

Noun

nomen dubium (plural nomina dubia)

1. (taxonomy) In zoological nomenclature, a name that is not described clearly enough to recognize, generally when a type specimen can not be examined or lacks essential diagnostic characters.
   • 1999, Ulrich Schmid, “Syrphus obscuripes Strobl, 1910: ein älteres Synonym von Epistrophe similis Doczkal & Schmid, 1994 (Diptera, Syrphidae)”, in Volucella‎^[1], volume 4 (in German), pages 103–104:

     Da der Typus von obscuripes trotz zweimaliger Nachsuche nicht aufzufinden war, mussten wir obscuripes als nomen dubium betrach­ten.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2003, O. A. Sӕther, L. C. Ferrington Jr., “Nomenclature notes on some orthoclads (Diptera: Chironomidae)”, in Zootaxa‎^[2], volume 322 (in English), pages 1–7:

     Camptocladius hexalobus Kieffer, 1924: 395 (= Pseudosmittia hexalobus Kieffer, nomen dubium). Type lost. A likely senior synonym of either P. trilobata or P. obtusa.

See also

• nomen novum
• nomen oblitum