Talk:Porcupine ray

Proposed merge with Raja africana
Raja africana is noted as a synonym at Porcupine ray. It is a regional sub-variant, without defined boundary or morphology from other porcupine rays. If there is any differentiating information (none in the current version) then it should be introduced at the parent article. SmokeyJoe (talk) 04:02, 8 June 2017 (UTC)


 * Two minutes between proposed merge and actual merge doesn't leave much room for discussion. Anyhow, I've reinstated the page, as it seems the merge was based on a misunderstanding. It is an entirely separate species, but the problem is the nomenclature, as two separate authorities have used the name Raja africana: First in 1801 where Bloch & Schneider used it to describe a population later considered a synonym of the porcupine ray. Almost two centuries later, Capapé, evidently unaware that someone already had used this name many years earlier, described a new species of skate as Raja africana. Two entirely separate species (not even in the same family), but only one name. Capapé's name is a homonym, but FishBase (the WP:FISH de facto species authority) still use it, although with reservations because of the problems with its nomenclature. Catalog of Fishes, Last et al. in Rays of the World (2016), Weigmann in Annotated checklist of the living sharks, batoids and chimaeras (Chondrichthyes) of the world, with a focus on biogeographical diversity (2016) and most other recent authorities have taken the same approach. A secondary problem is the validity of Capapé's species, but a future review is necessary to resolve that matter. I've added a small note to the wiki article explaining the problems. RN1970 (talk) 00:59, 5 July 2017 (UTC)