bugs & plants

[Willem N. Ellis]

This discussion has gone in many different directions, so let me add,
briefly, my private point. Quite often a bug, fungus, or whatever is cited
from a plant referred to as "oak", "nettle", or "Quercus", "Urtica", etc.
There are two element involved here. It is often considered a contribution
to public understanding to replace precise scientific names by sloppy
vernaculars. And secondly, even scientific names are often cited less
precisely than possible because the author knowns (but does not mention)
that Quercus robor or Urtica dioica are the only species of that genus in
the neighorbood. Both elements contribute to a fuzziness that easly could
be avoided. There is little point in trying to convert the world in this
matter, but I would like that at least editors took notice. -- Willem

o  Willem N. Ellis (Willem_N_Ellis at sara.nl)                                o
o  Institute of Systematics and Population Biology (Zoological Museum)     o
o  Department Entomology                                                   o
o  Plantage Middenlaan 64, 1018 DH  Amsterdam, The Netherlands.            o
o  Private address (I am retired, most of the time you will find me here): o
o  Jisperveldstraat 591, 1024 BD Amsterdam, tel. (020) 6328080.            o