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[Taxacom] Taxacom Digest, Vol 130, Issue 13

Neil Snow nwiltonsnow at gmail.com
Wed Feb 22 14:16:29 CST 2017 

John

Taxonomy sensu lato needs all the support it can get.  Ditto science more
generally.

Framing those incidents as dark taxonomy just isn't going to sit well with
a lot of folks, including this taxonomist.

As one who is now teaching an Invasive Species Management class for the 2nd
time and lived in Hawaii for a few years, I "get it" when it comes to the
urgency of invasive species.  What you mentioned having occurred in Japan,
though, does seem unreasonable.

NS

On Wed, Feb 22, 2017 at 2:11 PM, John Grehan <calabar.john at gmail.com> wrote:

> As scientists have been directly involved (at least in the NZ case) and
> promoted concepts of species purity I would say that the issue can have a
> lot to do with taxonomy - or at least the practice of taxonomy. Not saying
> this is a necessary fault with taxonomy as a science, just how it may be
> applied or misapplied both by 'management' and scientists.
>
> in human history there have been a lot of people who stayed neutral when
> others were the subject of pogroms.
>
> John Grehan
>
> On Wed, Feb 22, 2017 at 2:59 PM, Neil Snow <nwiltonsnow at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Dark side of taxonomy?  I don't think so.  This reflects management
>> options, over which I'll stay neutral.  It has nothing to do with
>> taxonomy.
>>
>> On Wed, Feb 22, 2017 at 12:00 PM, <taxacom-request at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
>> wrote:
>>
>> > Daily News from the Taxacom Mailing List
>> >
>> > When responding to a message, please do not copy the entire digest into
>> > your reply.
>> > ____________________________________
>> >
>> >
>> > Today's Topics:
>> >
>> >    1. Langage code for scientifc names (Andy Mabbett)
>> >    2. Moth gift: Winner of an eBay auction thanks his mother by
>> >       naming a new species after her (metzlere at msu.edu)
>> >    3. the dark side of taxonomy (John Grehan)
>> >
>> >
>> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >
>> > Message: 1
>> > Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2017 10:47:26 +0000
>> > From: Andy Mabbett <andy at pigsonthewing.org.uk>
>> > To: TaxaCom <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
>> > Subject: [Taxacom] Langage code for scientifc names
>> > Message-ID:
>> >         <CABiXOE=wGjMyoHZJRuNcE=9pPqBQDgV=thGJa6ZEdqVx68TREA@
>> > mail.gmail.com>
>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>> >
>> > Some 14(!) years after I first raised the issue with them, the IETF
>> > seem to be close to agreeing a language code [1] for marking up
>> > taxonomic names in HTML and other digital documents.
>> >
>> > For example, we can currently mark up a French phrase, in HTML, like
>> this:
>> >
>> >    This is a <span lang=fr>tres bon</span> example!
>> >
>> > and it is prosed to do the same for taxon names:
>> >
>> >    A highlight of the trip was seeing <span lang=XXX>Aquila
>> >    audax</span> overhead.
>> >
>> > and issues for debate include what code should be used in place of
>> > XXX; and whether the code should represent a subset of Latin.
>> >
>> > The current discussion starts at [2], and input from taxonomists would
>> > be useful. I'm happy to forward short comments posted here, but you
>> > can subscribe to the mailing list yourself at [3]. The discussion can
>> > also be viewed via the archives link on that page.
>> >
>> > See also the 2008 thread on this list [4].
>> >
>> >
>> > [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IETF_language_tag
>> >
>> > [2] http://www.alvestrand.no/pipermail/ietf-languages/2017-
>> > February/013713.html
>> >
>> > [3] http://www.alvestrand.no/mailman/listinfo/ietf-languages
>> >
>> > [4] http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/pipermail/taxacom/2008-June/110588.html
>> >
>> > --
>> > Andy Mabbett
>> > @pigsonthewing
>> > http://pigsonthewing.org.uk
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
>> >
>> > Message: 2
>> > Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2017 08:23:57 -0500
>> > From: metzlere at msu.edu
>> > To: TaxaCom <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
>> > Subject: [Taxacom] Moth gift: Winner of an eBay auction thanks his
>> >         mother by naming a new species after her
>> > Message-ID: <20170222082357.14775sxf376pqorx at mail.msu.edu>
>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > The loving son presented the name to his mother on St. Valentine's Day
>> >
>> > Pensoft Publishers
>> >
>> > Winner of an eBay  auction Steve Mix received the opportunity to pick
>> the
>> > name for a new  species of satiny-white winged moth collected from the
>> > white gypsum  dunes of the White Sands National Monument,  New Mexico. A
>> > fan of butterflies and moths himself, he chose to honor  his supportive
>> and
>> > encouraging mother Delinda Mix, so the moth is now  formally listed
>> under
>> > the species name delindae. It is described in the  open access journal
>> > /ZooKeys/.
>> >
>> > Having spent 10 years studying the moth fauna at the White Sands
>> National
>> > Monument, Eric H. Metzler, curator at the Michigan State University, but
>> > also research collaborator at the National Museum of Natural History,
>> > Smithsonian Institution, and research associate at the University of New
>> > Mexico and the University of Florida,  discovered the moth during the
>> first
>> > year of the study, in 2007. Back  then, he spotted a curious small white
>> > moth with a satiny appearance,  which immediately drew his attention.
>> >
>> > Already assigned to the genus Givira to the family commonly known as
>> > carpenter millers, the moth was yet to be identified as a species.
>> While
>> > most of its North American 'relatives' are either dark-colored, or  have
>> > substantial dark smudges on the forewings, there are only four of  them,
>> > including the new species, which are substantially white with few  or no
>> > dark markings.
>> >
>> > Further hindrance occurred when the researcher tried to study the
>> > specimens, as pinned moths turned out greased due to their abdomens
>> being
>> > full of fatty tissue. However, the specialist managed to degrease  them
>> by
>> > carefully brushing their scales, and, having compared them to  related
>> > species, confirmed them as representatives of a species new to  science.
>> >
>> > Then, Eric joined the fundraising event, organized by the Western
>> National
>> > Parks Association (WNPA), a non-profit education partner of the US
>> National
>> > Park Service.  The highest bidder in the eBay auction would receive the
>> > chance to pick  the scientific name for the satiny-looking moth, and
>> thus,
>> > become part  of history. Having won the opportunity, Steve Mix, who
>> himself
>> > had once  been interested in studying butterflies and moths, and has
>> been
>> > maintaining his fondness of them ever since, decided to name the species
>> > after his mother Delinda Mix, in gratitude for "the support and
>> > encouragement she gave to her son".
>> >
>> > "Steve Mix submitted the winning bid, and he chose to have the moth
>> named
>> > after his mother because of the lasting nature of this naming
>> > opportunity", shares Eric. "I received no remuneration in this
>> fundraising
>> > venture, and by volunteering my personal money, time,  expertise, and
>> > experience I was able to help WNPA gain world-wide  positive publicity
>> > while raising some much needed cash. The rewards to  me were being able
>> to
>> > help WNPA and Steve Mix honor his mother, which is  just so very
>> > sentimental".
>> >
>> > "WNPA is so pleased that we were able to work with Eric and we are
>> > grateful to Steve. This project is a shining example of working together
>> > towards the common good of our parks with the added value of providing a
>> > priceless experience for everyone involved", says Amy Reichgott,
>> > Development Manager at the Western National Parks Association.
>> >
>> > ###
>> >
>> > Original source:
>> >
>> > Metzler EH (2017) The Lepidoptera of White Sands National Monument,
>> Otero
>> > County, New Mexico, USA 9. A new species of Givira Walker  (Cossidae,
>> > Hypoptinae) dedicated to Delinda Mix, including a list of  species of
>> > Cossidae recorded from the Monument. /ZooKeys/ 655: 141-156.
>> > https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.655.11339
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
>> >
>> > Message: 3
>> > Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2017 09:57:16 -0500
>> > From: John Grehan <calabar.john at gmail.com>
>> > To: taxacom <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
>> > Subject: [Taxacom] the dark side of taxonomy
>> > Message-ID:
>> >         <CADN0ud2nZ8sDNoS0LSToOgH9Y53p8TkPsj_K2CTBVB7cagC9xw at mail.
>> > gmail.com>
>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>> >
>> > News report http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39040907
>> >
>> > Another case of ideology driving taxonomy. The idea that purity and the
>> > environment itself is threatened by whatever is declared to be other.
>> > Hybrids are duly executed (interesting that one web site referred to
>> > 'killed' while another used the nicer euphemism 'culled') and I once
>> made
>> > the mistake of criticising conservation policy in New Zealand for such
>> an
>> > approach (a real career killer). Watch out if you are one day found to
>> have
>> > the genes of an "invasive alien species".
>> >
>> > John Grehan
>> >
>> > A zoo in northern Japan has culled 57 of its snow monkeys by lethal
>> > injection after discovering they carried the genes of an "invasive alien
>> > species".
>> >
>> > Takagoyama Nature Zoo in Chiba said DNA testing showed the monkeys had
>> been
>> > crossbred with the rhesus macaque.
>> >
>> > The non-indigenous rhesus macaque is banned under Japanese law.
>> >
>> > A local official said they had to be killed to protect the native
>> > environment.
>> >
>> > The zoo's operator held a memorial service for the snow monkeys' souls
>> at a
>> > nearby Buddhist temple.
>> >
>> > Japanese macaques, commonly known as snow monkeys, are native to Japan
>> and
>> > are one of the country's major tourist attractions.
>> >
>> > Japan prohibits the possession and transport of invasive species,
>> including
>> > crossbreeds.
>> >
>> > An official from the Office for Alien Species Management, part of the
>> > country's environment ministry, told local media that the culling was
>> > unavoidable because there were fears they might escape and reproduce in
>> the
>> > wild.
>> >
>> > Junkichi Mima, a spokesman for conservation group WWF Japan told AFP
>> news
>> > agency that invasive species cause problems "because they get mixed in
>> with
>> > indigenous animals and threaten the natural environment and ecosystem".
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
>> >
>> > Subject: Digest Footer
>> >
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>> >
>> > Nurturing Nuance while Assaulting Ambiguity for 30 Years, 1987-2017.
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
>> >
>> > End of Taxacom Digest, Vol 130, Issue 13
>> > ****************************************
>> >
>> _______________________________________________
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>> http://taxacom.markmail.org
>>
>>
>> Nurturing Nuance while Assaulting Ambiguity for 30 Years, 1987-2017.
>>
>
>

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