- Steenstrupia is a scientific bulletin of systematic/evolutionary zoology and
zoogeography sponsored by the Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen (ZMUC). The
bulletin primarily serves the publication of articles by staff members and research
associates of the ZMUC. Contributions from other authors may be accepted if based
substantially on the ZMUC collection (but note 2 (c) below). Manuscripts must be written
in English.
- (a) Preferred systematic articles are revisions or monographs of species groups, genera
or higher categories as well as supplements to previous works of this category.
"Faunas", i.e., surveys of the representatives of an animal group known to occur
within a restricted region, may also be considered for publication, particularly in groups
with a mature taxonomy; such treatments should normally contain identification keys, but
full descriptive/synonymic treatment is often unnecessary. Other kinds of works within the
scope of the series include catalogues, checklists, morphological and/or biological
studies with obvious bearing on systematics, descriptions and analysis of infraspecific
variation, classifications, descriptive and theoretical zoogeography as well as
systematic-historical studies.
(b) Descriptions of new taxa outside the framework of a revisionary treatment, in groups
where a usable revision is not already available, may be acceptable in cases where the new
taxa are of exceptional interest. In such cases special demands must be made for the
discussion offered (see 12 below).
(c) Articles based on material from the collections of ZMUC alone, or from a single
ZMUC-based expedition, may be accepted where the material in question is of exceptional
interest. In most cases, however, ZMUC-material can more appropriately be published in
connection with revisions or faunas based on all available relevant collections. Whether
such articles, if authored by non-staff members of the ZMUC, are publishable in Steenstrupia
depends on the dominance of ZMUC material. Authors are free to publish ZMUC material
elsewhere.
- Manuscripts submitted to Steenstrupia are considered by the editor-in-chief, at
least one other member of the editorial committee and one or more external referee(s). The
final responsibility for acceptance rests with the editor-in-chief. Authors will usually
be notified about acceptance, necessary revision, or rejection within 6 weeks.
- Authors with a native language other than English are requested to have manuscripts
linguistically revised prior to submission. Manuscripts should be submitted as clean
copies, typed double spaced and with 3 cm left margins. Illustrations should be submitted
in a definitive state, mounted and fully labelled. Submit the original plus one copy of
text and illustrations. Authors intending to submit their MS on a floppy disk should
contact the editor.
- The title should be carefully considered! Preferably it should be brief, yet
cover all main topics treated in the article. Provide names (in brackets) of 1 - 3
successively "descending" categories to which the taxon treated belongs, e.g.
(Pisces, Ceratioidei) or (Insecta, Diptera, Muscidae).
- The abstract must be brief, yet sufficiently detailed to permit an adequate
assessment of the work and its main results. Reference should be made to all new taxa, new
synonyms and new combinations, as well as to lectotype and neotype designations.
Literature references (other than author, year citation in connection with mentioned taxa)
should be avoided in the abstract. Key words should be given on a separate line
below the abstract.
- A table of contents must be provided in the case of longer articles; it is
printed immediately below the abstract.
- The organization of the text proper cannot be completely standardized in all
kinds of articles, but style and format should, of course, be consistent within each
paper. Volume 23 (1997) may be consulted for specific examples. Usually a maximum of four
categories of headings are employed, the most subordinate starting an ordinary text line.
All headings start "flush left". All scientific generic and specific names
should be written in italics.
- The introduction should be sufficiently informative to arouse the interest of
readers outside the most narrow circle of the author's co-specialists! Thus, in addition
to the necessary account of the scope of the work relative to existing knowledge, the
section should preferably include a brief presentation of the animals treated ("what
they are and what they do").
- Nomenclature must be treated in accordance with the current version of the
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. The full scientific name, including author
and year of description, must be provided once for all animal species mentioned; deviation
from this principle is acceptable only in the case of higher vertebrates.
- Treatment of names and synonyms may be presented in slightly different formats;
here again consistency within any given paper is required. In revisionary treatments every
generic name should be accompanied by 1) reference to original description, 2)
type-species and manner of designation, and 3) synonyms (same information as with valid
name). For each species, mention should be made of 1) valid combination, 2) original
combination with reference to original description and information about primary type
material, and 3) synonyms (same information as with valid name). Remember abbreviations
such as sp.n., syn.n., comb.n., stat.rev., etc. where appropriate. A list of synonyms
given in another recent and easily accessible work should not be repeated; it is then
sufficient to refer to this work and to provide any necessary additions or corrections.
One example of arrangement:
X-us Brown, 1768
X-us Brown, 1768: 000. Type-species: Y-us viridis Linnaeus, 1758, by
subsequent designation by Green (1912: 000).
Z-us Dupont, 1802: 0000. Type species: Z-us flavis Dupont, 1802, by
monotypy (synonymized by Jensen, 1922: 00).
V-us Jönsson, 1972: 000. Type species: Y-us flavipes Lund, 1782, by
original designation. Syn.n.
X-us albus (Brown, 1768)
Y-us albus Brown, 1768: 000. Lectotype M, AUSTRIA, Innsbruck (NHMW), designated
by White (1922: 00) (examined).
Z-us pellucidus Schnabelschuh, 1908: 000. Lectotype M, SWITZERLAND, Geneve
12.VII.1908 (MHNG), here designated (examined). Syn.n.
X-us albus; Jensen 1966: 000 (synonymy).
X-us pallidus Smith, 1969: 000. Holotype F, AUSTRIA, Salzburg (ZSBS) (not
examined) (synonymized by Black, 1973: 000).
X-us palliphis Godot, 1972: 000. Holotype M, ITALY, Bolzano (MNHP) (examined).
Syn.n.
In the above example it is supposed that all works containing original descriptions are
given in the list of references; it is often sufficient to give them in abbreviated form
in the synonymy.
Thus:
X-us magnus (Hanson, 1887) comb.n.
Z-us magnus Hanson, 1887: Z.wiss.Zool., 00: 000. Syntypes M&F, FRANCE,
Marseille (lost).
- It is a recurrent experience that the discussion sections ("Comparative
remarks" or the like) accompanying descriptions of new taxa outside proper
revisionary treatments are quite inadequate. Preferably the new taxa should be fitted into
an identification key (preexisting or made for the purpose). If no key is available very
special demands must be made for the discussion: It is commonplace to find statements like
"the new taxon X is most closely related to (or "most similar to") taxon Y,
but differs from the latter through ....". This is insufficient! Mention must also be
made of the character/character combination which separates X + Y from all other members
of the group.
- List of material ("Material" or "Material examined") should
be carefully considered. As far as possible, give the relevant information in a condensed
style and leave extensive enumerations of full labal data of individual specimens or
samples on a "list to be deposited ...". Where publication of detailed specimen
data is truly needed, the following arrangement is preferred: COUNTRY or BODY OF WATER,
province, locality and/or longitude/latitude, altitude or depth, habitat, collecting year,
date, collector (Collection acronym, catalogue numbers if any). Geographical names should
be given in their current English form and all names used should be traceable in a modern
international atlas such as "Times" (Comprehensive Edn.). Where verbatim
quotations from labels are desirable (primarily in the case of primary types) necessary
additions to outdated or inadequate geographical names should be given in square brackets
[].
- References. In the main text "author (year)" and "(author
year)" references are employed. In the list of references complete bibliographical
references are given. Serial titles are preferably abbreviated according to "World
List", but in any case the same system of abbreviations should be consistently used.
Examples:
Brown, J.A. & Green, N.B., 19XX: Title. - J.Zool. XX: 000-000.
Green, H.B., 19XX: Book Title, Publisher, Town, 000 pp.
Green, J.A., 19XX: Title. - Pp. 000-000 in Brown J.A. & White, M.H. (eds.) Book
Title, Publisher, Town, 000 pp.
- Tables and figure legends should be typed on separate sheets. Make sure that all
figures and tables are referred to within the main text.
- In planning tables and figures, due consideration should be paid to the size of the
printed page (192 x 141.5 mm, width of single column 67.5 mm). Approximate position of
figures and tables should be indicated in the manuscript margins.
- Illustrations play a major role in most types of articles published in Steenstrupia
and must be of high quality.
In most cases indications of size-scales are appropriate, preferably by use of bars on
the figures themselves.
Line drawings in ink may conveniently be made in about 3/2 final size, i.e. a figure or
group of figures planned to take up one page in Steenstrupia may be mounted on an
A4 sheet of cardboard; it is normally a waste of efforts to prepare larger drawings and
these are cumbersome to handle for authors and editors alike. Do not assume that drawing
defects will disappear during the reduction and reproduction procedure; remove flaws from
the original! Contours should thus be fully closed and shaky lines made smooth by the use
of white paint and/or an eraser. Use letraset or the like for signatures on diagrams,
maps, etc. When mounting figures on cardboard sheets be sure that the figures will fill
out the printed page in a "balanced" manner. Letraset numerals and letters
should be placed with great care. Do obtain qualified technical assistance if your own
skills are not fully adequate!
Photographs should be trimmed at right angles and mounted on cardboard sheets
for 1:1 reproduction. Make sure that printing of the negatives was optimal and that
disturbing details in the background or periphery are removed as far as possible. Make
good use of letraset arrows or the like for indications. Letraset labelling should be
securely affixed and each plate preferably protected by an overlay (tracing paper or the
like). Regular 2 mm spaces between individual pictures are made by the printers; be sure
that important details (such as a figure number or the end of a scale line) are not placed
so close to the margin that they will be cut during this procedure.
- Authors receive galley proofs of their papers. Reprints in excess of 50 free copies
should be ordered with the return of proofs.