Taxacom: Removals of offending scientific names

Thu Jun 22 19:57:26 CDT 2023

I agree - meaningful names are great memory-aids.
   On 'offensive' names: I've created a few of these (joke names; eponyms
for politically incorrect botanists; names that are too long; names that
are too obscure... etc.) -  someone will always take offence,  especially
people who have never named anything in their lives.
   The equivalent in southern Africa of the N-word is the K-word. In 1990 I
suggested to my African PhD student (in Harare) that we propose changing
the great many 'kaffirensis's. He said it was a silly idea. In retrospect,
I was being 'partly awake but still dreamy', he was 'truly woke'.

On Fri, Jun 23, 2023 at 12:39 PM Tom Schweich via Taxacom <
taxacom at lists.ku.edu> wrote:

> 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%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=pU69EmWfd%2Bqz4g4mK8XOimWMPKQ%2FClLVju5xuJV%2Fh7w%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%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Uaxnb9%2BS%2FVOS%2F5ETx7APUtSp8Bdx3jN12fxvRoqGUto%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%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=cyrAe7mDrUts2T3TfQanaJjm8xYW1JNBL2DKaXkwOwU%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%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=m5JKrsmZRRqvtx0F3lt%2FOfXCgt4JC49zwUJQvR3GRmg%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%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=pU69EmWfd%2Bqz4g4mK8XOimWMPKQ%2FClLVju5xuJV%2Fh7w%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%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Uaxnb9%2BS%2FVOS%2F5ETx7APUtSp8Bdx3jN12fxvRoqGUto%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%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=cyrAe7mDrUts2T3TfQanaJjm8xYW1JNBL2DKaXkwOwU%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
> >>>>
> >>>> 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%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=0pDztioZsa8dGAQGWv9fTxVusqCFXU4DZT4T5iEWkuQ%3D&reserved=0
> >>>>
> >>>> Nurturing nuance while assailing ambiguity and admiring alliteration
> for
> >>>> about 36 years, 1987-2023.
> >>>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> Taxacom Mailing List
> >>>
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> >>> For list information; to subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
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> >>> 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%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=0pDztioZsa8dGAQGWv9fTxVusqCFXU4DZT4T5iEWkuQ%3D&reserved=0
> >>>
> >>> 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%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=0pDztioZsa8dGAQGWv9fTxVusqCFXU4DZT4T5iEWkuQ%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
> >
> > 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%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=0pDztioZsa8dGAQGWv9fTxVusqCFXU4DZT4T5iEWkuQ%3D&reserved=0
> >
> > 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%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=0pDztioZsa8dGAQGWv9fTxVusqCFXU4DZT4T5iEWkuQ%3D&reserved=0
>
> Nurturing nuance while assailing ambiguity and admiring alliteration for
> about 36 years, 1987-2023.
>

-- 
Dunedin, New Zealand.

My books:

*Biogeography and evolution in New Zealand. *Taylor and Francis/CRC, Boca
Raton FL. 2017.
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.routledge.com%2FBiogeography-and-Evolution-in-New-Zealand%2FHeads%2Fp%2Fbook%2F9781498751872&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=XigR0dx%2Bpo3wxU4DLdVXsJ2GmnIoiM%2BeWYA0GdM2F0k%3D&reserved=0

*Biogeography of Australasia:  A molecular analysis*. Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge. 2014. https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cambridge.org%2F9781107041028&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=AmAOWj80IWUX5iRMhPt%2F%2BYoNTWolj%2BIiPxW7ik3BInw%3D&reserved=0

*Molecular panbiogeography of the tropics. *University of California Press,
Berkeley. 2012. https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ucpress.edu%2Fbook.php%3Fisbn%3D9780520271968&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=WS6GTDTAqwFY2gjAESPPG42DztyJY0VKULR1HCHEVmA%3D&reserved=0

*Panbiogeography: Tracking the history of life*. Oxford University Press,
New York. 1999. (With R. Craw and J. Grehan).
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.co.nz%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DBm0_QQ3Z6GUC&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Ylvi1kvba89KiCGNT47IvnbacBSz3ZCFJlyzvl0VGtk%3D&reserved=0
<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.co.nz%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DBm0_QQ3Z6GUC%26dq%3Dpanbiogeography%26source%3Dgbs_navlinks_s&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7Cf003c7f33675452af7a208db7384d953%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230786648288140%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=dG%2F1sQ4iK%2BCV5UkUMQjVX6Yd6si0ow7aCgz8604Wn1A%3D&reserved=0>