Taxonomy of Finfish

1.2.1 International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN)

1.2.1 International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature

The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) provides and regulates the system for ensuring that every animal has an unique and universally accepted scientific name. Its financial and management affairs are handled by the International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), a charity (not-for-proft company) registered in the U.K.

This is essential to all areas of zoology including medical and veterinary science, agriculature, horticulature, the environment and conservation and geology and palaeontology. The maintenance of taxonomic standards and a consistent and universal nomenclature are fundamental to current efforts to conserve biological diversity and it is the unique role of the commission to maintain such international standards nomenclature.

The commission was set up in 1895. It consists of 25 members from 20 countries. It operates in two main ways. First, it publishes the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature containing the rule universally accepted as governing the application of scientific names to all organisms which are treated as animals. Secondly, it gives rulings on individual nomenclatural problems brought to its attention, so as to achieve internationally acceptable solutions. Several million species of animals are recognised and more than 2000 new generic names and 15000 new specific names are added to the zoological literature every year. With such a multiplicity of names, problems are bound to occur. The commission operates through its quarterly journal, the Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, in which problems needing a formal decision by the commission are published for discussion by the zoological community.

The commission is under the auspices of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS). The American Association for Zoological Nomenclature and the European Association for Zoological Nomenclature facilitate liaison between zoologists and the ICZN and provide financial support for ICZN.