Broad perspective

[Hank & Priscilla Brodkin]

"Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX" wrote:
> 
> Guess I should not have beaten around the bush :-) My discomfort with these
> names lies in the fact that the Labrador Sulphur (Colias nastes) has a very
> large range in North America and the geopolitical entity of Labrador sits at
> one edge of this large range.  The Rocky Mountain Parnassian (Parnassius
> smintheus) does live in the Rocky Mtns but as a crude guesstimate I would
> venture that 60-70% of its range is _outside_ the "Rocks".  In both cases
> the vernacular names convey a misleading image of the range of the butterfly
> - altho the names do include places where the bugs flit to and fro.  Kinda
> like coining the name 'New York Copper' for the widespread eastern Lycaena
> hypophlaeas (species phlaeas by some peoples' thinking) or Appalachian
> Anglewing for Polygonia faunus :-) The logic escapes me ----
> 

I am afraid when logic comes to common or to scientific names we will
all have been long departed.  As Michael - being an old bird guy (old in
experience - not in years) - knows there are many examples in bird
names.  Connecticut, Cape May, and Nashville Warblers for instance. 
These were not named for their areas of abundance, but, I believe, for
the locations where they were first taken.  Not much help is also given
to an organism's range or appearance when it is named after a person
either.  
And perhaps that should not be the reason for giving an organism a
particular name.  The main reason should be to separate this organism
from all others, hopefully in such a way to communicate to others the
creature to which you are referring.
Cheers!
-- 
	             Hank & Priscilla Brodkin
	          Carr Canyon, Cochise County, AZ
                    Lat: 31.450, Long: 110.267
             SouthEast Arizona Butterfly Association
          http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabasa/home.html

 
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