The Lepidopterists' News THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE LEPIDOPTERISTS' SOCIETY P. O. Box 104, Cambridge 38, Massachusetts, U. S. A. Editor - C. L. REMINGTON • Assoc. Editor -J E. REMINGTON Volume II May 1948 Number 5 A REPORT ON THE WAR DAMAGE TO LEPIDOPTEROLOGY IN EUROPE by Sergius G. Kiriakoff Zooloeical Laboratories University of Ghent, Belgium The editor of the NEWS has asked me to very important. collections have been preserved give a short account of war losses in Europe from destruction, entirely or for the greater with reference to lepidopterists killed or part: Koenig Museum, Bonn; Senckenberg Museum, deceased during the hostilities, damage to or Frankfurt; ViE,nna Museum and Linz Museum, Aus­ loss of public or private collections, etc. tria; the Deut.sches Entomologisches Institut, As everyone knows, present conditions in Eur­ Berlin-Dalhem; Museums of Munich, Stuttgart ope are by no means normal. The whole east­ and Berlin. 'l'he premises of the last four in­ ern portion of the Continent is cut off from stitutions have been wholly or partially de­ the rest of the world by the Iron Curtain, stroyed. Fortunately, the collections were and even in the remaining parts of Europe carried to safety in time to escape destruc­ comnunications are not always easy and it is tion. difficult to get sufficient data. Among the private collections, most have The study of the Lepidoptera has always not suffered Emy damage owing to the measures been particularly well-developed in Germany, or precaution which have been taken by the and German lepidopterists, professional as owners. Dr. F'orster tells me that he knows well as amateur, have, even in the last pre­ of two of the ]a rger private collections that war years, outnumbered those of the other Eu­ have been completely lost: viz. those of Phil­ ropean countries, with the possible exception lipps, ColognE', and of Draudt, Darmstadt; in of the British Isles. As Germany has suf­ addition, the Prack collection, Frankfurt, has fered very heavily during the war, it is of been very badly damaged. particular importance to know the extent of her losses with regard to Lepidopterology. I I am writlng to another German lepidopter­ have asked Dr.W. Forster, of the Bavarian ist whose adw'ess has been kindly supplied by State Zoological Collections, Munich, to give Dr. Fors ter, and hope to be able to report la­ such information as he could gather. This ter on some r\~ther data, especially on what first part of my report comprises the infor­ regards the Russian zone. The report on loss­ mation Dr. Forster has kindly sent me. I es suffered by the West European countries thank him very much indeed and I know that will be sent in later. the readers of the NEWS will feel grateful to him for this information, the first of its Dr. Forstor writes me that although a very kind, as far as I am aware, since the end of important and valuable portion of the German the war. A report of war losses to science collections has been saved, there still is in Germany has appeared in NATURE ror 1946, great danger threatening i'urther damage or e­ but without special reference to Lepidoptera. ven destruction: there is no equipment such as boxes and ,~abinets. no preserving means; 1.- LEPIDOPTERISTS KILLED OR DECEASED.­ and as a resl.!.lt of the urgent economy measures Killed in action: Wilhelm Koehler, Munich. there are mos'tly only skeleton staffs present. Deceased (no further details are given; some Besides, many of the premises are heavily da­ may have been killed in air raids): Dr. h.c. maged without means of repair. As an example, Fr. Phillipps, Cologne; Dr. Schawerda, Vien­ the Bavarian State Museum, Munich, needs at na; Dr. Kurt von Rosen, Munich; J. Rober, least 10,000 insect boxes along with the cor­ Dresden; Dr. H. Zerny, Vienna; Dr. Przegendza, responding cabinets and there i8 no hope wh'lt­ Nfrrenberg; Dr. H. Duerck, Munich; Prof. Dr. ever for a solution, as financial possibili­ von stubenrauch, Munich; H. Freiherr von der ties are nil. Most of the cabinets, says Dr. Goltz, Coblenz; Colonel von Bartha, Budapest, Forster, have been destroyed by fire, as is Hungary; Willy Schultze, Toelz (formerly of the case with many other museums. The only Manila, Philippine Is.); Dr. C. Bosch, Heid­ hope of the G'3rman lepidopterists rests with elberg; Dr. von Sterneck, Carlsbad; Dr. Krem­ foreign aid. If I may make a plea, I think, ky, Warsaw, Poland. This list includes such that for science's sake, a campaign should be authorities as Rober, Zerny,and Von der Goltz. -launched among the American uni vez:si ties, to try to save what can be saved. It is my ear­ 2.- COLLECTIONS DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.­ nest hope that this appeal shall not remain Completely lost: Those in the Museums of Ham­ unanswered. burg, of Stettin and of Augsburg. Partially lost: That of Dresden Museum. The following 49 50 Vol.II. no.5 PRINCIPLES OF TAXONOMY - III. DEFINITIONS OF COMMON LATIN TERMS After the new impetus to taxonomic biolo­ Lepidopterists who use taxonomic litera­ gy resulting from Darwin's explanation of ev­ ture regularly encounter many latin expres­ olution in the 1850's there remained a need sions which have become the specific short­ for an understanding of the mechanism of the hand for certain meanings in papers in all inheritance of physical characters, before languages. In continuation ot our series of the full explanation of the evolutionary pro­ brief aids to the untrained worker, we present cess was possible. Early workers wrote that here, with definitions, some common terms. the germ plasm of the individual was modified by the environment ana' that this modification 1. species ~ (sing.) The deSignation to was fixed and was passed on to the offspring. be placed immediately arter the name given For example, a dark Catocala living in white in the original paper for a previously un­ birch surroundings would become slightly described(unnamed) species. Correctly ab­ lighter and transfer the paleness to its off­ breviated !E. •.nQ.Y. or A2 •.n. (not .n •.m.) spring, which-would, in turn, become slightly 2. genus ~ (sing.). The designation for paler, and so on until a white species would a new genus, abbreviated ~.~. result arter numerous generations. 3. ~~. The designation for a new name for a previously described (named) Gregor Mendel, a monk, was probably the species, genus, etc., usual~y used when first to discover some of the basic princi­ the former name is found to be a homonym; ples of heredity now known as the science of often abbreviated B2m • .!l2X. or .n •.n. GENETICS. However, Mendel's work is only of 4. ~~. A specific name without a historical interest, since he published his recognizable original description or a ge­ results in such an obscure way that the dis­ neric name without an included species coveries were made independently and almost which can be type. (nom.~.) simultaneously by three outstanding biolo­ 5. nomen conservandum. A name, which would gists who immediately placed their work be­ rarr-into synonymy according to the Law of fore the field, some time before Mendel's un­ Priority, but which has become universally known papers were found. These real fathers used and whose abandonment would cause too of genetics were De Vries, Correns, and von great confusion, may be preserved by a ru­ Tschermak. Even these men did not reveal the ling of the International Commission on physical site of hereditary events. It was Zoological Nomenclature and receives this T.H. Morgan and his stUdents who showed that designation. (plural - nomina conseryapda) the hereditary units ("genes") are located in 6. ~ inguirendum. "Questionable name"; structures known as chromosomes occurring in a name w ose status is uncertain. the nucleus of all the living cells of the 7. auctorum. Li terally, "of authors"; a term body and that slight changes ("mutations") in used following a specific or generiC name one of these genes will change the physical to designate previous usage (not believed character controlled by that gene. For exam­ correct) of that name. (Nearly always ple, one gene controls the presence of the written auct.) white ground-color so common in females of 8. lapsus cSIami. Literally, a "slip of the the genus Colias. If a stray X-ray strikes pen"; refers to an accidental misspelling, the gene in a dividing sex cell of an adult especially of a scientific name. It has yellow ~ Colias. it may modify that gene so been claimed that modern usage should be that some or all of the ~ offspring of the "lapsus digiti"("slip of tho fingertt).since X-rayed * will be white females. modern manuscripts are typed. but this view does unnecessary violence to a firmly es­ However, most of these gene mutations are tablished, universally understood term. not so radical. Instead, with the dark Q!!2- 9. in statu nascendi. "In the state of being cala moving to a birch region, a mutation oorn"; referred to a species which is so iII! appear giving a few more white scales on close to its fellow species as to be consi­ the wings. Even a slight paleness will give dered either a race or a distinct species, some protection from enemies, so that the pa­ the decision being arbitrary; the assump­ ler individuals survive and have offspring tion is that it is becoming distinct. more often than the darker moths. This pro­ lO.emendatus. "Amended"; placed arter a name cess continuing for very /many generations when the original spelling has been correc­ eventually produces whiteness in the species.