USGS data - Shuey-etc.

[Dameron, Wanda]

>
> Dear Fred,
>     This may or may not be a can of opened worms. No, it is absolutely a can of huge worms. So here goes. The following is not my idea - it is what  I have been told by some who do both birds and butterflies. The Lepidopterists' Society is to NABA, USGS etc. as the Ornithological Union
> is to the Audubon Society.
 
 
Dear Ron,
 
        The basic premise you were told is a complete fallacy.   It could not
be further from the truth!  LepSoc would not even take the
responsibility to come up with a list of BFs -- in any way, shape or
form....   That is why Opler, Robbins and others were trying to set up
something similar to the AOU, but got shot down....
 
                                Cheers, Wanda
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
>     Therefore the Miller & Brown list (1981), as updated by Ferris (1989),
> is The List. (Can you hear the frass hitting the fan?)  This is why The
> List was adopted almost as is by Hodges in MONA (1983).
>     Next.  Can anyone imagine the Audubon Society not approving of the
> Ornithological Union's taxonomy and going off to reinvent the wheel? The
> truth is that some do not like the Ferris update in particular and have
> gone off on their own. Worms, worms, worms.
>     There seems to have been some in-fighting over names in the Lep Soc
> leadership the last several years -  at least factionalism. (I have been
> out of that loop for a long time. My term on the Executive Council was in
> the mid 70's.)
>     Insect taxonomy is more complex than bird or mammal taxonomy, so even
> without factionalism universal acceptance and stability will probably never
> be acheived. Thus, people like myself keep pointing to the International
> Code of Zoological Nomenclature and its rules as The Authority.
>     The way we at The International Lepidoptera Survey plan to handle this
> is by introducing the TC-ISBN (Taxonomically Correct - Index of Scientific
> Butterfly Names). This list is under the auspices of Harry Pavulaan (see
> USGS list), so I leave any more info on that to him.
>
> RG
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Heath, Fred" <Fred.Heath at power-one.com>
> To: "Leps-l" <Leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2001 7:42 PM
> Subject: RE: USGS data - Shuey-etc.
>
> > Dear Ron,
> > Something which has driven me crazy as long as I've been pursuing
> > butterflies (a short 10 years): There seems to be no "taxonomic ruling
> > body"! With birds, which which I've been associated for many years, there
> is
> > the AOU (American Ornithologists' Union) which has a committee which
> decides
> > on matters of taxonomy
> > as well as....hold on to your hats....common English names!
> > Folks submit papers with backup data as to why a species should be
> > split or lumped or moved to another genus, etc. and the committee
> considers
> > and finally decides on these matters. A huge anotated check list is
> > published every so often with the official status.  Is it perfect....no
> > way....after all these are human beings. A number of birds have gone from
> > species to sub-species and back again. Names have changed so many times,
> I
> > still can't remember if it a Common, Great or American Egret today. But
> at
> > least there is a taxonomy with scientific and English names which can be
> > used by book publishers, so communication is fostered throughout the
> North
> > American (north of Mexico) ornithological and birding community.
> > Why Lep Soc has never taken this on is beyond me. I know Paul Opler
> > tried to get a group together and there was some discussion about their
> > results earlier in Leps-L, but this group didn't seem to have an
> "official"
> > sanction which would insure the general acceptance of their conclusions.
> > Instead, what it seems to me, is that there is somewhat a situation of
> > anarchy and maybe after years of uncertainy, there is some critical mass
> > which accepts a particular taxonomic conclusion. In the mean time, every
> > book which is written contains a different interpretation of the exact
> > status which is confusing as can be to us plain folks and I guess becomes
> > downright perplexing to folks such as you in the case of a "species" such
> as
> > P. joanae.
> > ---Best regards, Fred
> > P.S. Since there doesn't seem to be any 'taxonomic ruling body", I was
> > wondering how you came to question the accuracy  of USGS's taxonomy?
> > Accuracy compared to what or who?
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Ron Gatrelle [SMTP:gatrelle at tils-ttr.org]
> > > Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2001 1:51 PM
> > > To: Leps-l
> > > Subject: Re: USGS data - Shuey-etc.
> > >
> > > First, USGS has a responsibility for accuracy. In far to many cases its
> > > taxonomy is off. Second, it should clearly state that
> > > it is not a taxonomic ruling body and its list is far from any
> official,
> > > ultimate, or definitive last word on what is and what is not a species.
> > > (It
> > > could also make reference to subspecies so that beginners become aware
> of
> > > them and their scientific evolutionary importance.)
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
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> >
> >
>
>
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--
Wanda Dameron
Flutterby Press
ATL, LepSoc, LA-NABA, Lorquin, Xerces
23424 Jonathan St., Los Angeles, Ca. 91304
818-340-0365     be496 at lafn.org
 
 
 
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