Re: English names

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Posted by Travis on June 18, 2002 at 22:21:01:

In Reply to: Re: English names posted by Harold De Lisle on June 15, 2002 at 10:53:49:

"In the original version of this table, Nuttall mentions Cynocephalus mormon and sphinx, omitting their common names. I have learned since that one is the mandrill and the other the guinea baboon. Since Nuttall wrote in 1904, these names have undergone the following vagaries: Cynocephalus mormon became Papio mormon, otherwise Papio maimon, which turned to Papio sphinx. This might well have been confused with Cynocephalus, now become Papio, sphinx, had not the latter meanwhile been turned into Papio papio. This danger averted, papio sphinx now became Mandrillus sphinx, while Papio papio became Papio comatus. All I can say to this is, thank heavens one is called the mandrill and the other the guinea baboon. Anyone who supposes, as Nuttall apparently did, that he improves matters by giving their taxonomic designations is only asking for trouble, and is more likely to mislead the reader than to inform him."

From Wald 1952 Biochemical evolution, in Trends in Physiology and Biochemistry: 337-376, as reported in Conant et al. 1956. Copeia 1956(3):172-173, Common names for North American Amphibinas and Reptiles.

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: "In the original version of this table, Nuttall mentions Cynocephalus mormon and sphinx, omitting their common names. I have learned since that one is the mandrill and the other the guinea baboon. Since Nuttall wrote in 1904, these names have undergone the following vagaries: Cynocephalus mormon became Papio mormon, otherwise Papio maimon, which turned to Papio sphinx. This might well have been confused with Cynocephalus, now become Papio, sphinx, had not the latter meanwhile been turned into Papio papio. This danger averted, papio sphinx now became Mandrillus sphinx, while Papio papio became Papio comatus. All I can say to this is, thank heavens one is called the mandrill and the other the guinea baboon. Anyone who supposes, as Nuttall apparently did, that he improves matters by giving their taxonomic designations is only asking for trouble, and is more likely to mislead the reader than to inform him." : From Wald 1952 Biochemical evolution, in Trends in Physiology and Biochemistry: 337-376, as reported in Conant et al. 1956. Copeia 1956(3):172-173, Common names for North American Amphibinas and Reptiles.

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