The Rays of the World project–an explanation of nomenclatural decisions

摘要: Rays of the World (in press), the first fully illustrated treatment of the world’s ray fauna, will summarise information on this surprisingly poorly known group of chondrichthyan fishes. Specialist long-term information and new data acquired as part of a multinational research initiative (Chondrichthyan Tree of Life Project) have provided a better understanding of the diversity and evolutionary relationships of this group. Insights gained from molecular analyses of living ray species, combined with comprehensive morphological investigations, have led to many changes in ray taxonomy and nomenclature. Many of these findings have been treated in a series of research papers underpinning the book but some others, particularly relating to nomenclature, require further explanation. Much of the unpublished work discussed below will be summarised in more detail by members of the authorship group in forthcoming papers. The objective of this paper is to detail changes proposed in the ray book and remove ambiguity within the literature where it exists.