On the Authorship, Availability, and Improper Use of <em>Sus scrofa ferus</em> for Referring to Wild Pigs
The wild boar, <i>Sus scrofa</i>, is one of the most successful large mammals in terms of geographic distribution. Along with its domestic descendant, the pig, they are extremely important animals for conservation, economy, human sustenance, and well-being. Naming wild and domestic pigs...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Taxonomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6500/2/1/7 |
| _version_ | 1797441483121360896 |
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| author | Alessio Iannucci |
| author_facet | Alessio Iannucci |
| author_sort | Alessio Iannucci |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The wild boar, <i>Sus scrofa</i>, is one of the most successful large mammals in terms of geographic distribution. Along with its domestic descendant, the pig, they are extremely important animals for conservation, economy, human sustenance, and well-being. Naming wild and domestic pigs in a way that allows them to be distinguished effectively and unambiguously is crucial for a number of studies in archaeozoology, biomedicine, genetics, epidemiology, paleontology, and wildlife management. <i>Sus scrofa ferus</i>, or less commonly, <i>Sus ferus</i>, is often used to refer to wild populations, frequently in opposition to <i>S. scrofa domesticus</i>, or <i>S. domesticus</i> in reference to domestic pigs. Here, it is argued that <i>S. scrofa ferus</i> is available for nomenclatural purposes but should not be regarded as valid from a taxonomic perspective. Authors should refer wild populations to valid subspecies, e.g., <i>S. scrofa scrofa</i>, or to <i>S. scrofa</i> ssp., when information on the subspecific status is not available or relevant for the research questions under consideration. This remark is not a mere nomenclatural clarification, because the potential identification of differences between wild boar taxa is often hidden behind a simplistic dichotomy between wild and domestic forms. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:23:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-699a5fd40c14401b8402e1c0c636a4d1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-6500 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:23:43Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Taxonomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-699a5fd40c14401b8402e1c0c636a4d12023-11-30T22:37:23ZengMDPI AGTaxonomy2673-65002022-02-0121919810.3390/taxonomy2010007On the Authorship, Availability, and Improper Use of <em>Sus scrofa ferus</em> for Referring to Wild PigsAlessio Iannucci0Department of Earth Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, PaleoFactory, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, ItalyThe wild boar, <i>Sus scrofa</i>, is one of the most successful large mammals in terms of geographic distribution. Along with its domestic descendant, the pig, they are extremely important animals for conservation, economy, human sustenance, and well-being. Naming wild and domestic pigs in a way that allows them to be distinguished effectively and unambiguously is crucial for a number of studies in archaeozoology, biomedicine, genetics, epidemiology, paleontology, and wildlife management. <i>Sus scrofa ferus</i>, or less commonly, <i>Sus ferus</i>, is often used to refer to wild populations, frequently in opposition to <i>S. scrofa domesticus</i>, or <i>S. domesticus</i> in reference to domestic pigs. Here, it is argued that <i>S. scrofa ferus</i> is available for nomenclatural purposes but should not be regarded as valid from a taxonomic perspective. Authors should refer wild populations to valid subspecies, e.g., <i>S. scrofa scrofa</i>, or to <i>S. scrofa</i> ssp., when information on the subspecific status is not available or relevant for the research questions under consideration. This remark is not a mere nomenclatural clarification, because the potential identification of differences between wild boar taxa is often hidden behind a simplistic dichotomy between wild and domestic forms.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6500/2/1/7nomenclaturetaxonomySuidaeArtiodactylaMammaliadomestication |
| spellingShingle | Alessio Iannucci On the Authorship, Availability, and Improper Use of <em>Sus scrofa ferus</em> for Referring to Wild Pigs Taxonomy nomenclature taxonomy Suidae Artiodactyla Mammalia domestication |
| title | On the Authorship, Availability, and Improper Use of <em>Sus scrofa ferus</em> for Referring to Wild Pigs |
| title_full | On the Authorship, Availability, and Improper Use of <em>Sus scrofa ferus</em> for Referring to Wild Pigs |
| title_fullStr | On the Authorship, Availability, and Improper Use of <em>Sus scrofa ferus</em> for Referring to Wild Pigs |
| title_full_unstemmed | On the Authorship, Availability, and Improper Use of <em>Sus scrofa ferus</em> for Referring to Wild Pigs |
| title_short | On the Authorship, Availability, and Improper Use of <em>Sus scrofa ferus</em> for Referring to Wild Pigs |
| title_sort | on the authorship availability and improper use of em sus scrofa ferus em for referring to wild pigs |
| topic | nomenclature taxonomy Suidae Artiodactyla Mammalia domestication |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6500/2/1/7 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alessioiannucci ontheauthorshipavailabilityandimproperuseofemsusscrofaferusemforreferringtowildpigs |