A Puma by any other name

[Dr. James Adams]

Mike Gochfield wrote:

>But this species [the Puma, Cougar, etc.] is the example that comes to
>mind whenever I talk about a
>species that is called many different things in different parts of its 
>range. I
>doubt that there are any butterflies that share this nomenclatorial fate.

Mike, where have you been?  This is exactly what we've been talking 
about.  There are lots of butterflies that have been given multiple common 
names.  I would suggest that multiple "common" names for a single species 
is probably the rule rather than the exception for species that are widespread.

For instance:
         Monarch, Wanderer
         Painted Lady, Cosmopolitan
         Mourning Cloak, Camberwell Beauty

And don't forget one of the main points that many simply choose to ignore 
-- all the common names that these same bugs have in different 
languages.  Anybody even know what butterflies Ken was talking about the 
other day when he used the common names 'traurnitsa' , which he pointed out 
was the same as 'suruvaippa'?

Mike did correctly point out that the discussion is "about "official
>English names" or maybe even "official American-English names", 
>recognizing that
>speakers of other languages aren't going to use our English names. That 
>gets us
>out of the bind of what names are "commonly" used.


James


James K. Adams
Phone: (706)272-4427
FAX:  (706)272-2235
Visit the Georgia Lepidoptera Website:
    www.daltonstate.edu/galeps/
Also check out the Southern Lepidopterists' Society new Website:
    www.southernlepsoc.org/


 
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