[SoWestLep] Lep Publications - A Call for Information

Chris J. Durden drdn at mail.utexas.edu
Thu Oct 7 11:40:06 EDT 1999


At 09:41  7/10/99 -0500, you wrote:
>From: "Chris J. Durden" <drdn at mail.utexas.edu>
>
>Hank,
>  I think we are a long, long way from the useful situation you describe.
>We have many years of basic data gathering, interpretation and taxonomy to
>do before we can present a simple picture of what is out there. Ornithology
>has done so much more of this work for birds, that some standardization is
>now possible, but as you see over the last 20 years there are still large
>changes in a group as well known as birds.
>  A: The plus side of standardization - it facilitates communication among
>those who would use the data.
>  B: The minus side of standardization - it discourages innovative
>reexamination of established "facts" - the essence of science.
>  I am concerned about "B". We really know far, far less about butterflies
>than we do about birds. How many species are there of *Speyeria* or
>*Colias* or *Amblyscirtes*? There are some very strong opinions held by a
>few specialists, based on a very small amount of field and lab data. There
>is much more field observation, lab observation, genetic, biochemical and
>DNA testing to be done before we can really narrow the number of
>fritillary/silverspots to somewhere more than 8 and somewhere less than 99.
>How can we standardize the names now, before we have robust conclusions? I
>would vote against recognizing a standard names committee at this time.
>  I would vote for continuing full disclosure, or the practice of using
>Linnean binomial nomenclature as we have since 1758, with the convention
>adopted in the 19th century - of crediting author and year of publication,
>as an aid to those who wish to consult original sources. Binomial
>nomenclature is the common language of taxonomy. Without it we cannot talk
>about the same things comprehensibly.
>  We all have our own nicknames for our favorite motyli/ borboletas/
>mariposas/ palomitas/ farfalle/ dagsommerfugle/ schmetterlinge/ papillons/
>papalotl/ flutterbys but these are regional in use and not amenable to
>standardization.
>  I am sorry not to be more helpful, but I really do not think we are ready
>for a standard names committee.
>..........Chris Durden
>
>
>At 10:33  6/10/99 -0700, you wrote:
>>From: Hank & Priscilla Brodkin <hankb at theriver.com>
>>
>>Paul, Chris, et al
>>It has been suggested that folks interested in leps subscribe to a large
>>number of publications - like people interested in birds do.  As a
>>birder I do subscribe to four journals and one popular magazine.  
>>One thing the popular magazine used to do - it published a regular
>>column by a taxonomist that kept us abreast of changes in the wind.
>>One organization, the AOU, took the lead as far as North American birds
>>were concerned.  Their territory covers all of North America through
>>Panama, the West Indies, and Hawaii.  They have a checklist committee
>>formed of highly respectable workers in ornithology that studies the
>>peer-reviewed papers, make decisions on splits and lumps, and publish in
>>the AUK updates and changes to the North American list on a more or less
>>regular basis - and once very 10 or so years publishes the "AOU
>>Checklist of North American Birds".
>>Paul Opler is on the right track, imho, forming such a committee for
>>butterflies.  It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.  I hope
>>enough high caliber folks have volunteered to join Paul's committee and
>>I hope that politics does not strangle these efforts.
>>In the meantime - for those of us who are REALLY amateurs, in the worse
>>sense of the word, and have not the means to subscribe to more than a
>>few journals, it would be nice to see a regular column in one of the
>>journals - and why not in American Butterflies, Jeff? - with information
>>on taxonomic work going on.  I realize NABA has a Checklist Committee
>>also - but since the first checklist that they published - I have seen
>>nothing in American Butterflies describing the work this committee is
>>doing.
>>At any rate - there is enough interest in this subject - that someone,
>>preferably a published lepidopterist, with a background in taxonomy,
>>somewhere, should publish this information regularly in a forum that is
>>accessible to a wide spectrum of interested folks.
>>
>>-- 
>>	                 Hank Brodkin
>>	          Carr Canyon, Cochise County, AZ
>>             SouthEast Arizona Butterfly Association
>>          http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabasa/home.html
>>
>>>When the birds are few and far between-Look Down!, because there is a
>world of color you may have missed looking up.
>>
>
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>When the birds are few and far between-Look Down!, because there is a
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