Dear Stephanie, Wayne, et al.,
Thanks to Stephanie, we have another piece of the jigsaw puzzle. According to
the third edition (the fourth is hot-off-the-press, on order, and not likely
any different on the matter at hand)of the ICZN, Article 32(b) "incorrect
original spelling (can be emended) if... (ii) there is in the original
publication itself, without recourse to any external source of information,
clear evidence of an inadvertent error..." It goes on to cite an example...
"douglasi in Eptesicus douglasi, said to be named after Marion and Athol
Douglas, is an incorrect original spelling that must be corrected to
douglasorum."
Although G. B. Sowerby II didn't exactly state he was naming Murex Saulii [sic]
after Miss Jane Saul, it is quite obvious that he knew of a specimen(s) of this
new taxon in her (then already famous; now at Cambridge, UK) collection.
Placing myself in a contemporary readership and considering the author's renown
as a "shocking latinist," I would argue that Reeve's emendation of the
specific name to "Sauliae" was "justified" (ICZN-speak for kosher), but it a
isn't an "air-tight case" (and G. B. S.'s linguistic deficiencies might be
deemed "irrelevant" to the nomenclatorial argument in an ICZN proceeding).
I presume the actual date of publication of the original description of Murex
Saulii [sic] in Proc. Zool. Soc. London was 1841; or was it 1840?
Did Snyder (1986) actually say he named Latirus anni for his wife? Can you
provide the reference?
Harry
Ref.: Ride, W. D. L., C. W. Sabrosky, G. Bernardi, R. V. Melville, J. O.
Corliss, J. Forest, K. H. L. Key, and C. W. Wright, 1985. International
code of
zoological nomenclature. Third edition. Univ. Calif., Berkeley, xx + pp. 1-338.
Feb.
At 03:12 AM 1/30/00 -0800, you wrote:
>Hello all
(cut)
>I have copied all
>the molluscan articles out of the Proceedings of the Zoological Society,
>London (one of my favourite old journals) from its first volume to about
>1855 so far.
>
>And looking at the article in question which is -
>
>1841, Soweby, GB, Jun., Descriptions of some new species of Murex,
>principally from the collection of H. Cuming, Esq. Proc Zoo Soc Lond
>1840:137-147
>
>The name is given as Murex Saulii Conch. Illustr. f. 77. followed by a
>latin descriiption which is among the more lengthy in this paper.
>He gives the location as: ad insulam Capul, Philippinarum. H. Cuming legit.
>Mus. Saul, Stainforth, Reeves.
> With the following note: It is somewhat surpising that this species should
>not have been distinguished ere this from M. Palmarosae, from which it
>differs in having a smooth inner lip, and in having small projecting fronds
>on the varices between the larger ones.
>
>It is certainly not clear from the description which is not unusual for
>this period to indicate who the shell is actually named after. For example
>the preceeding species is Murex Banksi Conch. Illustr, f. 82. with no
>indication of who this might be or any acknowledgement such as for my
>friend etc.
(cut)
>It would seem obvious that Sowerby made a mistake, but from what is written
>it can not be argued that he did and the name should still remain as M.
>saulii and not M. sauliae or M. saulae.
>
>I can think of an example of this sort of error from the recent literature:
>Martin Snyder named Fusinus anni in 1986 after his wife Ann, the mistake
>was by the author and the correct name is still F. anni.
>
>Regards
(cut)
>Stephanie A. Clark
>Invertebrate Identification
>Unit 4/17 Morris Street
>PO Box 418
>Summer Hill, NSW 2130
>Australia
>phone 61 (02) 9799 5689 fax 61 (02) 9799 5610 mobile 0412 372388
>email [log in to unmask]
Harry G. Lee
Suite 500
1801 Barrs St.
Jacksonville, FL 32204
USA 904-384-6419
<[log in to unmask]>
Visit the Jacksonville Shell Club Home Page at:
http://home.sprynet.com/~wfrank/jacksonv.htm
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