correct names

Ron Gatrelle gatrelle at tils-ttr.org
Tue Jul 10 13:20:58 EDT 2001


Comments inserted - some snips too.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Gochfeld" <gochfeld at EOHSI.RUTGERS.EDU>
Subject: Re: correct names



> "In response to my recent posting, Alex wrote: Grkovich, Alex" wrote:
> Just recently, we have been "informed" that the Hairstreak favonius is
> now to be called the Oak Hairstreak (?). Never mind that several
> Hairstreaks use Oaks as the foodplant.   Or that  all
> > > Limentits arthemis are now to be referred to as "Red Spotted
Admirals"?
>
> =================================================
> I agree entirely that OAK HAIRSTREAK is a poor compromise because other
> species of hairstreaks like Oaks. Of all the species on the New Jersey
> list, this is the one whose nomenclature we dealt with most extensively
> in BUTTERFLIES OF NEW JERSEY.  To make a long story short, when Satyrium
> ontario (usually published as Fixsenia Ontario) and known as Northern
> Hairstreak was lumped with Satyrium favonius (Southern Hairstreak), the
> scientific name favonius had priority (Smith 1797 vs Edwards 1868).
> Unfortunately, the name Southern Hairstreak was chosen for the species
> as a whole (even though priority doesn't affect vernacular names (as Ron
> and Alex point out, there's no international convention).
>

The lumping of hordes of hairstreaks around the world under Satyrium is a
gross error in my book. I think Clench started that? It is too bad some
have followed this. Fixsenia is a good genus - again in my view.

> It was particularly annoying for New Jersey where the race ontario
> occurs, and where Southern Hairstreak was doubly inappropriate.  But, as
> we pointed out the combined species is NEITHER particularly Northern nor
> particularly Southern in its distribution as Satyriums go. We
> compromised and our species entry calls it the "Southern or Northern
> Hairstreak"---an act of rebellion since we had earlier claimed that our
> common names followed the NABA checklist.
>
snip
> I'm not sure now, just how scarce this butterfly is. It does seem to be
> sporadic, showing up in fair numbers in one place, one year and then not
> found at all the next. But I don't know whether this applies to the
> "southern" Hairstreak. So maybe Scarce Hairstreak isn't appropriate for
> this species, and probably other Hairstreaks are Scarce as well.
>

There is a big chapter to be written on "favonius" as it is in the South.
But here, ontario is a subspecies of favonius - according to Robins, I'm
the person who formally aligned this. From coastal SC south into Florida
the "favonius" entities are abundant.

> Other alternatives would be "Spring Wind Hairstreak"  "Favonius
> Hairstreak".  etc.
>

There is only one common sense common name for the northern subspecies -
that is the Ontario Hairstreak, which of course has nothing to do with the
fact that it is hardly found in Ontario, but rather that with THAT common
name everyone would know what was being referred to - like King's, Hessel's
etc. But then to call it the Ontario Hairstreak one might just as well
stick with ontario hairstreak.
Ron


 
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