Open nomenclature

Usage of open nomenclature

• Sp. indicates potentially new species without remarking on its possible affinity. This suggests either that identification has not yet been completed or that currently available evidence and material are insufficient to allocate the specimens to relevant known taxa, or alternatively, that as yet the specimen cannot be assigned to a new taxon of its own with sufficient confidence.
• Sp. aff. or aff. indicates a potentially new and undescribed species has an affinity to, but is not identical to, the named species.
• V. means that the author inspected the original type specimens and are basing their statements on first-hand experience. Sometimes the opposite is expressed as "non v.", meaning that the original has never been observed, as is the case with many kinds of fungal spore, for instance.
• Cf. or a question mark signify varying degrees or types of uncertainty and may be used differently depending on the author. In more recent usage, "cf." indicates greater uncertainty than a question mark.

  Literature cited