Taxacom: Removals of offending scientific names

Thu Jun 22 19:39:01 CDT 2023

I suppose you are technically correct in saying that names are simply 
labels, and that no one needs to care what their meaning is.

On the other hand, yesterday (and again on Saturday) I was/will take 
residents of a local homeowners association on a botanical tour of the 
50-some acres of open space that is owned by their association.  I think 
it is interesting to the general public that Escobaria missouriensis is 
named for the Missouri River that was the primary means of 
transportation through the Louisana Purchase in the early part of the 
19th Century. And that the lands of our little city of East Tin Cup were 
acquired by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase.  Or that the 
ludoviciana of Artemisia ludoviciana is a Latinization of Louisiana of 
the Louisiana Purchase. Or that Lithospermum means (roughly) "stone 
seed" and then pull out one of the nutlets and show that the seed 
(nutlet) looks like a little round stone.  Or, that our buffalo grass 
formerly in the genus Buchloe is a contraction of "Bubalo chloe" which 
in Greek means buffalo grass.  I think having meaningful names and 
knowing what the names mean provides a connection for the general public 
and would loathe explaining to the general public that the names are 
simply meaningless labels.

On 6/22/2023 12:23 PM, George Beccaloni via Taxacom wrote:
> Well, I disagree. Species designations are hypotheses, and the names are
> simply labels used for communication. My name is George, it is a label and
> I don't even know or care what its meaning is. Because species names are
> labels, I think they should be fixed and we should be using the original
> spelling - as indeed Lepidopterists do (I am one). Having worked on large
> electronic catalogues of names like the Global Lepidoptera Names Index
> (LepIndex) and the Cockroach Species File, I am constantly irritated by the
> name changes caused by gender agreement. Such changes complicate databasing
> and the communication of taxonomic information.
>
> George
> ****************************************************************************
> *Dr George Beccaloni FLS*
> *Director, Alfred Russel Wallace Correspondence Project*
>
> Wallace Correspondence Project: https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwallaceletters.myspecies.info%2F&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C4724f42424f04be5ea7908db73823eec%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230775486733278%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=q9kF6zY41Gu1UyykgfyFIQPRqgHr8spnnKX5YZBkuOQ%3D&reserved=0
> Wallace Memorial Fund: https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwallacefund.myspecies.info%2F&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C4724f42424f04be5ea7908db73823eec%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230775486733278%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=dB94plRIzPJtrjDcPqJnYXv%2Fj9vYidsF6blUv09GThg%3D&reserved=0
> ResearchGate: https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fprofile%2FGeorge-Beccaloni-2&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C4724f42424f04be5ea7908db73823eec%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230775486733278%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ZcApkilYYzC2Aa4U90jdnlDQ52QBK7F5v4qm9G0PQSU%3D&reserved=0
> ****************************************************************************
>
>
> On Thu, 22 Jun 2023 at 19:12, Richard Jensen <rjensen at saintmarys.edu> wrote:
>
>> As I have argued elsewhere, species names are not just labels.  Once they
>> have been created, they are a special class of proper names and have
>> meanings.  If you know your study group, then as soon as you see a species
>> name you can "define" the entity bearing that name.The characters (of any
>> type) that allow one to distinguish Aus bus from Aus wus (or any other
>> taxon) are species defining characters.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Richard J
>>
>> On Thu, Jun 22, 2023 at 10:49 AM Frank T. Krell via Taxacom <
>> taxacom at lists.ku.edu> wrote:
>>
>>> Nerdy, elitist gender agreement? Me thinking follow grammar being not so
>>> badly. But that's just me 😊, coming from a language well organized by
>>> grammar.
>>> If you don't want gender agreement, create specific names as nouns in
>>> apposition, like abba, beccaloni, boris. And you are right, names are just
>>> labels.
>>> I have recently seen a manuscript, hopefully soon to be published, that
>>> finds that naming after celebrities helps much with the visibility of
>>> taxonomy. This is important in these times where only things get recognized
>>> and supported that people are talking about.
>>> Names are always a reflection of the time in which they were created.
>>> Eradicating history is counterproductive. We need to be reminded of these
>>> villains of the past, as often as possible.
>>> Frank
>>>
>>>
>>> Dr. Frank-Thorsten Krell
>>>
>>> Senior Curator of Entomology, Editor-in-Chief
>>> Commissioner and Councillor, International Commission on Zoological
>>> Nomenclature
>>> Department of Zoology
>>> Denver Museum of Nature & Science
>>> 2001 Colorado Blvd
>>> Denver, Colorado 80205-5798, U.S.A.
>>> Frank.krell at dmns.org
>>> Phone 303.370.8244
>>> Fax 303.331.6492
>>> https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dmns.org%2Fscience%2Fzoology%2Fstaff%2Ffrank-krell%2F&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C4724f42424f04be5ea7908db73823eec%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230775486733278%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BDeL7cItRdeTMaZCOFwFGMz7x0k71KoCSJdUvZRiTko%3D&reserved=0
>>>
>>> Bugs: They’re bigger, they’re better, they’re buggier than ever! It’s all
>>> about precision flight, swarm intelligence and mind control in the world of
>>> “Bugs," the exhibition. Marvel at their adaptive genius and see if you can
>>> match their brilliance.
>>>
>>>
>>> Bugs: Son más grandes, mejores y más increíbles que nunca. En la
>>> exhibición "Bugs" todo gira en torno al vuelo de precisión, la inteligencia
>>> en grupo y el control mental. ¡Descubre lo genios que son!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Taxacom <taxacom-bounces at lists.ku.edu> On Behalf Of George
>>> Beccaloni via Taxacom
>>> Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2023 5:11 AM
>>> To: Michael Heads <m.j.heads at gmail.com>
>>> Cc: taxacom at lists.ku.edu
>>> Subject: Re: Taxacom: Removals of offending scientific names
>>>
>>> Names are just labels - there is no need to understand them. IMHO they
>>> should be unchanging, and the nerdy, elitist requirements of the Code
>>> relating to gender agreement should be scrapped as they make tracking
>>> names
>>> difficult in our modern computerised world.
>>>
>>> George
>>>
>>> ****************************************************************************
>>> *Dr George Beccaloni FLS*
>>> *Director, Alfred Russel Wallace Correspondence Project*
>>>
>>> Wallace Correspondence Project: https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwallaceletters.myspecies.info%2F&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C4724f42424f04be5ea7908db73823eec%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230775486733278%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=q9kF6zY41Gu1UyykgfyFIQPRqgHr8spnnKX5YZBkuOQ%3D&reserved=0
>>> Wallace Memorial Fund: https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwallacefund.myspecies.info%2F&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C4724f42424f04be5ea7908db73823eec%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230775486733278%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=dB94plRIzPJtrjDcPqJnYXv%2Fj9vYidsF6blUv09GThg%3D&reserved=0
>>> ResearchGate: https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fprofile%2FGeorge-Beccaloni-2&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C4724f42424f04be5ea7908db73823eec%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230775486733278%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ZcApkilYYzC2Aa4U90jdnlDQ52QBK7F5v4qm9G0PQSU%3D&reserved=0
>>>
>>> ****************************************************************************
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thu, 22 Jun 2023 at 11:58, Michael Heads via Taxacom <
>>> taxacom at lists.ku.edu> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Abba is a good name for a genus - short, memorable...  I'm grateful that
>>>> the 19th century taxonomists who named most of the genera in many groups
>>>> *didn't* use the names of contemporary pop groups, pet politicians and
>>>> other cultural ephemera. If they had, the names would now be
>>>> meaningless, and we instead we can write with future users in mind. But
>>>> preferences like this should not be law!
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Taxacom Mailing List
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>> Nurturing nuance while assailing ambiguity and admiring alliteration for
>>>> about 36 years, 1987-2023.
>>>>
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>>> The Taxacom email archive back to 1992 can be searched at:
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>>>
>>> Nurturing nuance while assailing ambiguity and admiring alliteration for
>>> about 36 years, 1987-2023.
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Taxacom Mailing List
>>>
>>> Send Taxacom mailing list submissions to: taxacom at lists.ku.edu
>>> For list information; to subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
>>> https://lists.ku.edu/listinfo/taxacom
>>> You can reach the person managing the list at: taxacom-owner at lists.ku.edu
>>> The Taxacom email archive back to 1992 can be searched at:
>>> https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftaxacom.markmail.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C4724f42424f04be5ea7908db73823eec%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230775486889547%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=9yCP9toQ9D2cs6I%2F83Ims5%2B412m9q0ZZktZJDgSpGh8%3D&reserved=0
>>>
>>> Nurturing nuance while assailing ambiguity and admiring alliteration for
>>> about 36 years, 1987-2023.
>>>
>>
>> --
>> Richard Jensen, Professor Emeritus
>> Department of Biology
>> Saint Mary's College
>> Notre Dame, IN 46556
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Taxacom Mailing List
>
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> For list information; to subscribe or unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.ku.edu/listinfo/taxacom
> You can reach the person managing the list at: taxacom-owner at lists.ku.edu
> The Taxacom email archive back to 1992 can be searched at: https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftaxacom.markmail.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C4724f42424f04be5ea7908db73823eec%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230775486889547%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=9yCP9toQ9D2cs6I%2F83Ims5%2B412m9q0ZZktZJDgSpGh8%3D&reserved=0
>
> Nurturing nuance while assailing ambiguity and admiring alliteration for about 36 years, 1987-2023.