Codex Mutabilis: Preserving The Reasons For Changes In Scientific Names
For taxonomists and digital preservationists, this work addresses a niche metadata preservation problem but is incremental in nature.
The paper identifies a preservation gap in taxonomy where reasons for scientific name changes are rarely recorded in machine-readable form, and proposes Codex Mutabilis, a digital journal that documents ICZN-mandated name changes with full textual justification, persistent identifiers, and archival infrastructure.
Digital preservation infrastructures often prioritize the stability of content and metadata. In taxonomy, species names are formed according to the Articles listed in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. The reasons for these changes are rarely recorded in detail or made machine-readable. This paper examines this preservation gap. Here, we cover issues in the Code by looking at approaches to recording nomenclatural changes related to the Kākāpō Strigops habroptilus. As a potential solution, we present Codex Mutabilis, a digital journal with a publication model that documents ICZN-mandated name changes with full textual justification, persistent identifiers, and archival infrastructure. We argue that this model offers a blueprint for preserving interpretive metadata in the sciences.