Butterfly Names (and committees)

Fri Mar 31 22:13:28 EST 2000

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There has been much debate on this subject, and the will continue to be
for some time to come.

Someone said that respect for the AOU has helped the birding community
to build acceptability of the names it has decided are the best for
particular species.  Fair enough and quite reasonable.  In entomology,
however, as has also been said, there is not the kind of organizational
effort in the direction of taxonomy and systematics.  It appears to me
(keep in mind here that I am an amateur entomologist) that it will take
time to develop a parallel situation for insects.  Although I don't
think entomologists are any more cantankerous or ornery than
ornithologist, let's face it: there are a lot of bugs out there and the
task is daunting from that point of view alone.

In addition, I would like to say that, although the NABA committee might
have been a good idea, I think that systematics issues should be
addressed by systematists.  As I understand it (I may be wrong here),
there were none on that committee.  To put it another way, why ask a
computer programmer  or a roofer to replace the transmission on your car
or to tune the engine?  That is the work of a transmission specialist
and a tune-up specialist (and they are the ones we go to for those
jobs).  The same analogy can be drawn here.  Politics (organizational or
otherwise) should be kept out of the scene altogether.

Where name changes are concerned, let's keep them to a minimum and keep
usage consistent.  Whether Manduca sexta is used for the tobacco
hornworm or for the tomato hornworm I could care less -- I just want to
know what vernacular name to associate with any given scientific name
(and I know darn well that I am not the only one to want or need it).
When a name is changed, it should be for good reason, not just for
covenience -- and there should be research data available to refer to
should the need arise for some clarification or other.  Oh, one more
problem: let's not use any misnomers if at all possible.  One of the
larval hosts of the rustic sphinx (Manduca rustica) is Chilopsis
linearis (mimbre, also known as "desert willow").  Is it a willow?  NO
WAY!!!  It is a member of the same family as the trumpet vine, the
Bignoniaceae.  Giving something such a misnomer can lead to some serious
mistakes unless one is familiar with the status of the name.  Let's keep
our "act" clean.

Pierre A Plauzoles
sphinxangelorum at bigfoot.com

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There has been much debate on this subject, and the will continue to be
for some time to come.
<p>Someone said that respect for the AOU has helped the birding community
to build acceptability of the names it has decided are the best for particular
species.&nbsp; Fair enough and quite reasonable.&nbsp; In entomology, however,
as has also been said, there is not the kind of organizational effort in
the direction of taxonomy and systematics.&nbsp; It appears to me (keep
in mind here that I am an amateur entomologist) that it will take time
to develop a parallel situation for insects.&nbsp; Although I don't think
entomologists are any more cantankerous or ornery than ornithologist, let's
face it: there are a lot of bugs out there and the task is daunting from
that point of view alone.
<p>In addition, I would like to say that, although the NABA committee might
have been a good idea, I think that systematics issues should be addressed
by systematists.&nbsp; As I understand it (I may be wrong here), there
were none on that committee.&nbsp; To put it another way, why ask a computer
programmer&nbsp; or a roofer to replace the transmission on your car or
to tune the engine?&nbsp; That is the work of a transmission specialist
and a tune-up specialist (and they are the ones we go to for those jobs).&nbsp;
The same analogy can be drawn here.&nbsp; Politics (organizational or otherwise)
should be kept out of the scene altogether.
<p>Where name changes are concerned, let's keep them to a minimum and keep
usage consistent.&nbsp; Whether <i>Manduca sexta</i> is used for the tobacco
hornworm or for the tomato hornworm I could care less -- I just want to
know what vernacular name to associate with any given scientific name (and
I know darn well that I am not the only one to want or need it).&nbsp;
When a name is changed, it should be for good reason, not just for covenience
-- and there should be research data available to refer to should the need
arise for some clarification or other.&nbsp; Oh, one more problem: let's
not use any misnomers if at all possible.&nbsp; One of the larval hosts
of the rustic sphinx (Manduca rustica) is <i>Chilopsis linearis </i>(mimbre,
also known as "desert willow").&nbsp; Is it a willow?&nbsp; NO WAY!!!&nbsp;
It is a member of the same family as the trumpet vine, the Bignoniaceae.&nbsp;
Giving something such a misnomer can lead to some serious mistakes unless
one is familiar with the status of the name.&nbsp; Let's keep our "act"
clean.
<p>Pierre A Plauzoles
<br>sphinxangelorum at bigfoot.com
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