----------------------------Original message----------------------------
As a supplement to this question, and Yves answer, I would like to inform
everyone of a series of gazetteers: Ornithological Gazetteers of the
Neotropics which is published here at Harvard University. Eleven titles
are currently available and a list of them can be requested from: Bird
Department, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge,
MA 02138.
******************************************************************************
David A. Cobb Tel (617) 495-2417
Harvard Map Collection FAX (617) 496-0440
Harvard University E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
Cambridge, MA 02138
VE * RI * TAS
*****************************************************************************
On Fri, 17 Nov 1995 [log in to unmask] wrote:
> THE INTERNET AS AN EXTENSION OF OUR REFERENCE CAPACITY
>
> A few weeks ago, I received from a highly specialised researcher the
> rather difficult question for which I posted a request for help on
> Carta and Maps-L:
>
> "I try to locate a place called CUBILQUITZENSIS (or without ending sis)
> somewhere in Mexico, Central America or The Carribean. A rare tree
> species is assumed to be named after this place. Could somebody help? "
>
> I received a few replies locating the place exactly, among which was
> this very comprehensive one:
>
> From: [log in to unmask] (J.D.Weintraub)
> Subject: Re: Cubilquitzensis, where?
> Date: Friday, September 8, 1995 at 12:00:48 pm
> Attach: Headers.822
> Certify: N
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Yves:
>
> In response to your query concerning the whereabouts of
> "Cubilquitzensis",
> when plants or animals are named after their place of origin, the
> latinized
> form adds "ensis", so the place you are looking for is "Cubilquitz".
> The
> problem is best approached from a biological rather than cartographic
> point
> of view: Any experienced botanist will know that the key to locating
> this
> place is the original description of the tree species in question. The
> problem with going straight to the local map library is that biologists
> are
> notoriously unreliable when it comes to spelling/transcribing place
> names
> (they are often spelled the way they sound, or things other than place
> names
> that the early plant/animal collectors heard from the locals are
> mistaken for
> place names!!). So, you have to check the original description of the
> plant
> in question - I assume it is a species of _Dalbergia_, as the on-line
> database
> of Western Hemisphere plant names at the Gray Herbarium (Harvard)
> produced the
> following two references when I searched it using "cubilquitzensis":
>
> Dalbergia cubilquitzensis Pittier
> Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 12: 56. 1922.
>
> Dalbergia variabilis var. cubilquitzensis Donn. Sm
> Bot. Gaz. 57: 417. 1914. - Guatemala
>
> The complete reference for the paper in which the first of the above
> two
> plant species was described is:
>
> Pittier, H. 1922. On the species of Dalbergia of Mexico and
> Central America. J. Wash. Acad. Sci. Vol. 12, No. 3: pp.
> 54-64.
>
> Note that one of the records narrowed the *type locality* (place where
> the species was originally collected) down to Guatemala.
>
> Checking either of the above references would reveal that the type
> locality of both plants was as follows:
>
> "Cubilquitz, Dept. Alta Verapaz, Guatemala"
>
> This was the spelling used by the plant collector H. von Tuerckheim
> when
> the first specimens were collected and documented in Feb.1913 (as you
> are
> well aware, place names and their preferred spellings also change
> through
> time - another reason it is important to consult the botanical
> literature
> first so you know the "antiquity" of the name you are dealing with).
>
> Only after seeking this info. did I bother to check the DMA Gazetteer
> of
> Guatemala which reveals the current place name applicable to this
> collecting
> site:
>
> Finca Cubilhuitz (a farm) [15 40'N 90 25'W]
>
> Hope the above is what your client is looking for. If they need any
> further
> help or information, feel free to pass my e-mail address on to them.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jason
>
> **************************************
> * J.D. Weintraub *
> * Department of Entomology *
> * Academy of Natural Sciences *
> * 1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. *
> * Philadelphia, PA 19103-1195 *
> * tel(215)2991189;fax(215)2991028 *
> * e-mail: [log in to unmask] *
> **************************************
>
> As you can see , I received a very thoroughly documented reply I could
> ever dream of, and was very proud to deliver it to my researcher. I
> expressed my most sincere thanks to Dr Weintraub and ask him permission
> to share it with you, for a case I wanted to make of Internet as an
> extension of a map librarian's reference capacity. I was wondering how
> a biologist had come upon my request. Here is his reply:
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Yves,
>
> You are welcome to use my reply to your query as an example of
> "Internet resources" for map librarians. I came upon your request
> regarding the location of "Cubilquitz" because I too subscribe to
> the "MAPS-L" (Maps and Air Photo Systems Forum) discussion group.
> Maps, atlases, and gazetteers are important resources for biologists,
> especially those specializing in the systematics and biogeography of
> plants and animals. I have often directed questions about unknown
> localities from biological specimen data to various members of the
> "map library community" on MAPS-L (and have often received surprisingly
> helpful responses). I therefore try to reciprocate when the occasional
> question requiring biological expertise pops up!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jason
>
> **************************************
>
> For those of you (like me) who sometimes consider participating to
> discussion lists as a time-consuming activity, remember Dr Weintraub's
> testimony on the usefulness of sharing expertise over Internet and the
> power of this tool to extend our own capacity of accessing relevant
> information for our users, whereever the location. Good words of
> appreciation to list postmasters too! And thanks again to Dr Weintraub
> for his amenity and his sense of reciprocity!
>
> THE INTERNET AS AN EXTENSION OF OUR REFERENCE CAPACITY!
>
> ****************************************************************
> Yves Tessier
> Cartotheque Tel.: 418.656.2002
> Bibliotheque de l'Universite Laval Fax: 418.656.7793
> Quebec, Canada G1K 7P4 [log in to unmask]
> *****************************************************************
>
>
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