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The new publication series Amphibia Mundi was presented byDUBOIS (2004a).This will be a series of taxonomic catalogues and regular lists of taxonomic novelties concerning the AMPHIBIA, that will allow users of taxonomic data (biologists, conservationists, administrators, etc.) to find updated information on the state of the art. Contributors to this ambitious endeavour are welcome and should contact our editorial board, either to write some contributions, or to provide information, or to correct some of the mistakes or omissions that our catalogues will unavoidably contain.This first issue of the series presents a list of taxonomic novelties in recent amphibians, i.e., basically a list of new nomina (DUBOIS, 2000) recently proposed for amphibians. Information on these novelties must be provided within the frame of a given taxonomy, and respecting strictly the Rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (''the Code'';ANONYMOUS, 1999).These rules, often designated as ''Linnaean'', have force of law for all zoologists worldwide except those who expressly state that they are following other rules, but then the nomenclature adopted is incompatible with a ''Linnaean'' one (for details, see DUBOIS, 2005a).The taxonomy used as a framework for Amphibia Mundi deserves a few comments.
In most zoological groups, and especially in those like the amphibians, which are currently the matter of numerous phylogenetic works often followed by drastic reappraisals of relationships, any given taxonomy is bound to be provisional. This is by no means problematic, as long as one understands the ''heuristic value'' of taxonomy (e.g.MAYR, 1981).Taxonomies are not only ''results'' of phylogenetic and taxonomic research, but may serve as starting points for further research, as they provide hypotheses on relationships that can be tested. For each zoological group, until we have reached its ''final taxonomy'', a goal that is legitimate but which will probably remain out of reach for many decades yet, any taxonomic frame must be viewed as a ''working taxonomy'' (DUBOIS, 1999) or more shortly an ergotaxonomy (DUBOIS, 2005a).
Taxonomy under the ''Linnaean'' system consists in two different aspects (e.g., DUBOIS, 2005a): establishment or use of taxa, and allocation of ranks to these taxa.These two aspects are independent and widely different. Establishment or use of taxa is a scientific work that relies on a philosophy of taxonomy: it requires a decision regarding which...