Species Names for Nobokov

[Michael Gochfeld]

Describers and namers of species have a lot of poetic license.
Look at all the Duskywings (Erynnis) named after famous (and not so famous)
American Indians.
 
As far as I know the namer has tremendous latitude, although at one time
there was a rule afoot about not using certain unacceptable language.
 
Remember the species names 'dyaria' and 'corpulentis' by the feuding Dyar
and Smith entomologists of a century ago.
 
Mike Gochfeld
 
"Stanley A. Gorodenski" wrote:
 
> Some time ago there was a write-up in the News about Nobokov.  I had
> never heard of Nobokov.  I just read a review by May Berenbaum of two
> books about him.  The reviewer feels the conventions for naming a
> species were abused.  I don't know much about these conventions, and so
> I have no idea how far off base Berenbaum may be, but maybe someone else
> does.  Berenbaum said:
>
> "Perhaps even more distracting  is the excessive determination of
> Johnson and his colleagues to honor Nobokov's memory.  They have named
> over 30 species after characters in Nobokov's novels.  Patronyms
> (scientific names that refer to people) are supposed to honor
> individuals who have made a contribution in the field, although it is
> true that in many cases the contributions are indirect; species are
> routinely named for spouses and offspring, and occasionally after sports
> heroes, rock bands, cartoonists, and politicians.  But it is downright
> creepy to name a species after Humbert in Lolita (whose principle claim
> to fame is unchecked pedophilia) and then to reassure readers that "the
> scientists made certain to place humbert in a separate genus and
> assigned to that name a species with a limited range living some fifteen
> hundred miles from where lolita might ever be found roaming.""
>
>
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