Nomenclatural proposal seeks conservation of Koelerietalia splendentis for Balkan rocky grasslands

A nomenclatural review and proposal recommends conserving the name Koelerietalia splendentis Horvatić 1973 against Halacsyetalia sendtneri Ritter-Studnička 1970 if limestone and serpentine rocky grasslands of the Balkans are combined in one order. The document is a proposal submitted under the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature, not an approved conservation decision, and it is based on a review of syntaxonomic publications rather than a field experiment, clinical study, simulation or formal test of vegetation classifications.

The proposal follows recent broad-scale syntheses of Balkan dry-grassland syntaxa within the class Festuco-Brometea. Some syntheses have transferred the alliance Scorzonerion villosae Horvatić ex Kovačević 1959 from the Balkan order Scorzoneretalia villosae Kovačević 1959 to the more widely distributed order Brachypodietalia pinnati Korneck 1974. Other work has suggested merging Balkan limestone and serpentine rocky grasslands into a single order. The authors state that following both developments would, under the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature, require use of the priority name Halacsyetalia sendtneri in a sense they describe as alien to common use, different from the intention of the name’s authors and not previously applied in that way.

The review distinguishes three historical names for the relevant syntaxa. Scorzoneretalia villosae has been treated as the oldest valid name. Koelerietalia splendentis, established by Horvatić in 1973, has repeatedly appeared in the literature, sometimes in synonymy, for Amphi-Adriatic calcareous xerophytic grasslands. Halacsyetalia sendtneri, described by Ritter-Studnička in 1970, has instead been used for serpentine rocky grasslands in the central and western Balkans. The proposal characterizes its scope as narrower both geographically and ecologically than that of Koelerietalia splendentis.

Geographic occurrence counts cited in the proposal from Preislerová and colleagues provide a stated distinction between the type alliances. Potentillion visianii Ritter-Studnička 1970, the type alliance of Halacsyetalia sendtneri, occurs in two geographic entities with certainty and three additional entities with a question mark. Chrysopogono grylli-Koelerion splendentis, the type alliance of Koelerietalia splendentis, occurs in four entities with certainty and six more with a question mark. The proposal also cites evidence that, within the same geographic units, serpentine rocky grasslands are usually less widespread than non-serpentine rocky grasslands. Because the name-giving plant Halacsya sendtneri is described as a regional southwest Balkan endemic and a serpentine specialist, applying Halacsyetalia sendtneri to a combined order could create confusion, the authors argue.

The requested conservation would apply only if Halacsyetalia sendtneri, or at least its type alliance, were included in a broader order of Balkan and Apennine rocky dry grasslands. Because the two competing names have different nomenclatural types, Halacsyetalia sendtneri could continue to be used if limestone and serpentine rocky grasslands were separated at order level. The authors state that adopting the proposal would support nomenclatural clarity without excluding different syntaxonomic viewpoints; the supplied material establishes the proposal, not its acceptance or implementation.

Subject of Research: Nomenclatural conservation of a vegetation order for Balkan rocky grasslands

Article Title: Proposal (39) to conserve the name Koelerietalia splendentis Horvatić 1973 as a nomen conservandum

Article References: Dengler, J., Vassilev, K., & Bergmeier, E. (2024). Proposal (39) to conserve the name Koelerietalia splendentis Horvatić 1973 as a nomen conservandum. Vegetation Classification and Survey, 5, 165-167. https://doi.org/10.3897/vcs.127873

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/VCS.127873

Keywords: Koelerietalia splendentis, Halacsyetalia sendtneri, Balkan dry grasslands, plant syntaxonomy, vegetation nomenclature, limestone grasslands, serpentine grasslands, International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature, Proposal, conserve, name, Koelerietalia