[Taxacom] Linnaeus' "Habitat in Indiis"

[Carlos Alberto Martínez Muñoz]

 Dear Taxacomers,
I have a question for those of you dealing with Linnaean species. What is
your English translation of the type locality (= Habitat in) "Indiis"? I am
not asking for interpretations but for translations. To me it translates as
"Indies", in plural.
In Myriapoda, the plural translation (Indies) seems to have been overlooked
for the three involved species (*Scolopendra morsitans*, *Julus indus*
and *Julus
fuscus*), which have been assigned the type locality as that of the
singular translation (India).

There are also interesting questions to debate regarding interpretations:
1) What the Linnaean concept of "Indiis" was.
2) What "Indiis" has been corrected to.

For debate on question 1), there is a nice map at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Indies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Indies#/media/File:Indies.PNG

For debate on question 2), I have compiled a few cases below (biblio
available online):

AlgaeBase
*Amphiroa fragilissima* (Linnaeus) J.V.Lamouroux 1816
Type locality: Habitat in Indiis [Jamaica?] (Linnaeus 1758: 806). (...) In
the protologue (Linnaeus 1758: p. 806), the locality is given as " Habitat
in Indiis " and an illustration from Sloane (1707: p. 58, pl. 20, fig. 5)
based on material from Jamaica is cited."

Mammals of South America, Volume 1: Marsupials, Xenarthrans, Shrews, and
Bats
Edited by Alfred L. Gardner
page 137 Yellow Armadilllo *Dasypus septemcinctus* Linnaeus 1758:51
Type locality "in Indiis" corrected to Brazilia, further restricted to
Pernambuco

A Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Egypt
Written by Sherif Baha el Din
page 243 *Dasypeltis scabra* (Linnaeus 1758) Egg-eating Snake
*Coluber scaber* Linnaeus 1758: 223. Type locality: "in Indiis" interpreted
as meaning South Africa by Flower (1933).

Snakes of Central and Western Africa
Written by Jean-Philippe Chippaux and Kate Jackson
page 271 Rhombic Skaapsteker, *Psammophylax rhombeatus* (Linnaeus 1758)
The type locality is "Indiis" (meaning South Africa)

Results of the Fifth George Vanderbilt Expedition, 1941: Part 1 - Fishe
Written by Fowler
page 157 *Holacanthus ciliaris* (Linnaeus)
*Chaetodon ciliaris* Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, pt. 1, 1758, p. 276
(type locality, "in Indiis" = tropical America).

Biodiversity, biogeography and nature conservation in Wallacea and New
Guinea: Volume 2
Edited by Dmitry Telnov
page 162 *Asota heliconia* (Linnaeus, 1758)
Linnaeus (1758) noted this species as living "in Calidis regionibus", on
warm regions. Somewhat later, he wrote that "*Phalaena Noctua heliconia*"
"Habitat in Indiis" (Linnaeus 1764: 385).

Guidelines for the Capture and Management of Digital Zoological Names
Information v1.1
Written by Francisco W. Welter-Schultes
page 118 *Papilio acesta* Linnæus 1758 (Lepidoptera)
type locality given as "in Indiis". This was a contemporary expression
usually used for the Caribbean. (...) Occasionally the term referred also
to India.

Francisco also asked in Taxacom (Jan 18, 2010): What would be your GPS
record for "in Indiis"?

Looking forward to a collaborative debate,
Carlos


Carlos A. Martínez Muñoz
Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit
FI-20014 University of Turku
Finland
ResearchGate profile
<https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Carlos_Martinez-Munoz>
Myriapod Morphology and Evolution
<https://www.facebook.com/groups/205802113162102/>