----------------------------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] > ***************************************************************** > >