Broad perspective

[Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX]

Agreed that the communication value of the name should be emphasized and
that is why there is merit in coining names that are descriptive of the
organism rather than places and people.  This has been done by various
authors in the past; alas there are vested interests in various lists so it
will take time for truely descriptive names to catch on. Speaking as an
ex-birder, having weird semi-official common names for birds does not excuse
weird common names for butterflies.  Sounds weird but Green-spotted
Anglewing may have more communication value than Green Comma; I have never
seen a green comma on one of these butterflies, they look white to me :-)
How about Wide-banded Checkerspot for E. gilletii :-)

-----Original Message-----
From: Hank & Priscilla Brodkin [mailto:hankb at theriver.com]
Sent: Monday, November 06, 2000 2:50 PM
To: Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX
Cc: 'Michael Gochfeld'; 'lepsl'
Subject: Re: Broad perspective


"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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