Abstract

SANCHEZ-GONZALEZ, Luis A.. When a "new record" is a real new record: considerations for its publication. Huitzil [online]. 2013, vol.14, n.1, pp.17-21. ISSN 1870-7459.

The acceptance of a new record expanding the distributional range of a bird species must be subjected to several criteria for crediting it as an authentic new record. Its only localization in published distributional maps of specialized field guides is not enough for its validation as a new record because it does neither consider the geographic scale nor the geographic distributional properties, such as anisotropy (the unequal occupation in the distributional area). Given this, the lack of clear criteria would allow that practically any record outside published distributional maps could be considered a new record. Here, I propose criteria that may help in the acceptance of a new record as authentic. These criteria may be applied to any other taxa in any region.

Keywords : birds; geographic scale; geographic distribution; anisotropy.