[Nhcoll-l] sex indication in butterfly collection

[Erik Åhlander]

This was a not uncommon way of giving sex in natural history collections in general during the 18th and 19th century. Standards, any kind, was a late invention. This example is still understandable! More difficult is when single curators used different code systems, usually based on latin terms.


[nrm_logo]

Erik Åhlander
Collection Manager, fish and herptiles
Swedish Museum of Natural History
Department of Zoology
Box 50007
SE-104 05 STOCKHOLM
Sweden
erik.ahlander at nrm.se<mailto:erik.ahlander at nrm.se>
+46-8-51954118
+46-70-2252716



Från: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> För Martin Sluk
Skickat: den 27 juni 2018 21:23
Till: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Ämne: [Nhcoll-l] sex indication in butterfly collection

Hello
In looking at the card catalogue of a butterfly collection we're noticing a use of the Mars and Venus symbols I've not seen before. Most specimens have the sex symbols written twice, one "upside-down" and one "right-side-up". Sometimes this will be a normally oriented Venus followed by an upside-down one, or an upside-down Venus followed by a right side up mars etc. Furthermore there are some specimens with the sex left blank and some with the sex indicated by a single unambiguous symbol.

I'm wondering if perhaps this is a common way to indicate something in the invertebrate world that I'm just not familiar with. This data is from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Thanks for any leads you can give us. We're a small and entomologist-less staff.

-Martin Sluk

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