'Phantom references', 'nomina nuda' and the dilemma of freshwater fish taxonomy in India

To be really useful to all other comparative disciplines of biology, taxonomy must be carried out in a professional manner, and requires a strict methodology for the recognition of species, and for their nomenclature. This article highlight some glaring cases of unprofessional and unethical approaches followed by Indian researchers while publishing papers and reports that have a long-lasting impact on the taxonomy and taxonomic literature of freshwater fishes. It specifically focus attention on two case studies. The first is the Fourth National Report by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India (GoI), to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The second (case study) is a paper published in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. Further the article caution ichthyologists working in the Western Ghats (and elsewhere) to verify the sources of information especially withregard to species names before using them for their own work, so as to avoid presenting inaccurate and erroneous information.