Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- Question about Pirate perch's scientific name
ichthos-in-comcast.net
Date: Wed Jul 21 2004 - 15:17:06 CDT
The -anus suffix is another way of saying "of." For example, "virginianus" means "of Virginia." My guess is that Gilliams picked "sayanus" over "sayi" for one or both of these reasons:
1) It has a double meaning, both honoring entomologist Thomas Say and referring to the fish's anal anatomical oddity.
2) Gilliams and Say were friends and colleagues. So maybe Gilliams was having some fun-in-Say's expense, forever linking Say's name with the rectal orifice.
And who knows, maybe Say was an assh*le.
Chris Scharpf
near Herring Run
Baltimore, USA
> Just wondering why the pirate perch's scientific name [species name]
> is sayanus? Why not sayi or something that is generally used?
>
> Tony
> River system outside North America
> /-----------------------------------------------------------------------
> / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes
> / Association (NANFA). Comments made on this list do not necessarily
> / reflect the beliefs or goals of NANFA. For more information about NANFA,
> / visit http://www.nanfa.org . Please make sure all posts to nanfa-l are
> / consistent with the guidelines as per
> / http://www.nanfa.org/archive/nanfa/guidelines.html. To subscribe,
> / unsubscribe, or get help, visit the NANFA email list home page and
> / archive-in-http://www.nanfa.org/archive/nanfa/.
>
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association (NANFA). Comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of NANFA. For more information about NANFA,
/ visit http://www.nanfa.org . Please make sure all posts to nanfa-l are
/ consistent with the guidelines as per
/ http://www.nanfa.org/archive/nanfa/guidelines.html. To subscribe,
/ unsubscribe, or get help, visit the NANFA email list home page and
/ archive-in-http://www.nanfa.org/archive/nanfa/.
: Wed Sep 29 2004 - 12:21:33 CDT