[luckyme]

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One thing one of my old professors said was that sometimes biology sucks because there's always an exception. Considering the gradual nature of evolution there will always be some lineages in transition.

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Some? ( just teasing )

I don't think there is a problem with the 'current separated groups' version as a useful category. The main thrust of Dawkins is in the lineage study. It doesn't make much/any sense to refer to species since there's no obvious joints in a lineage and you could create species at virtually every single ancestor by just using a different starting point and going back until you lose breedability.

Carrying over the helpful, if blurry, species category in a 'slice of time' as you mentioned into lineage discussion seems careless or confusing and/or unhelpful or whatever ;-) It would seem useful to clarify that upfront and then move on. We can refer to 'race' in a helpful way at times, even while acknowledging that 'race' is a really blurry and broad boundary. ( Yet, as my swedes and pygmies as the only living groups illustrated, it would seem glaringly clear that race existed if that were the case).

luckyme