Re: [Killietalk] give linneatus its proper name

[Wright Huntley <whuntley at inkmkr_com>]

Edd Kray wrote:
> 
> I'd like to politely make a suggestion to the list and admittedly it
> shows me to be an old "phart" and a curmudgeon. 

No argument so far, Edd. :-)

> 
> I notice MANY using the term "golden wonders" when speaking of their
> first experiences with killies. We are speaking, of course, of the
> Aplocheilus lineatus tank-bred strain displaying the un-natural gold
> coloration.
> 
> Nevertheless they ARE Aplocheilus lineatus and I humbly recommend that
> they be referred to by their appropriate species designation.

Now we come to an interesting point. While I heartily agree with you, 
there are many who do not, and many of those are newbies to killies who 
have no concept of how many different species and sub-species we have to 
deal with. [We even have had some long-term, active breeders who refused 
to use collection codes or locations when they distributed fish or eggs. 
We have numerous "aquarium strains" now, thanks to their refusal to 
buckle to the nomenclature nazis.]

There are similar problems with Rasboras and Bettas, in that a "common" 
name that is easy for the trade can be very misleading. Likewise, other 
multi-species groups like catfishes have outgrown the 19th-Century 
pet-shop name system. The killies get the most bitching in this 
department, partly because we have so damned many names to learn (the 
species list alone is approaching 1000!), but mostly because we have to 
be self-supporting in the breeding dept. Crossing a /Fp. gardneri/ with 
a /Fp. nigerianus/ often produces gorgeous fish, but downstream 
fertility problems will likely crop up.

Our only recourse has been to be starchy about using the correct 
scientific (Latin) names and attaching accurate collection codes or 
locations. From a marketing standpoint, this is simply a disaster. A new 
young fishkeeper wants pretty pets, not tongue-twisting semantic 
problems. Replicating them isn't his/her immediate concern, Keeping them 
alive usually is. After they learn to tightly cover the tank, they may 
eventually want to know how to make a mop.

> 
> Perhaps my objection comes from the fact that I don't like the Pet
> Industry, and the kind of folks who run PetsMart controlling the
> language used by otherwise literate, knowledgeable aquarists here on
> killitalk.

Your example is a poor one, for IME PetsMart has done a pretty decent 
job, compared to other large chains, and I have found competent sales 
staff and expert biologists backing them up. That is not at all so at 
the WalMarts and Petcos I have known.

The snake-oil salesmen of FL and some of the distributors, there, have 
given the tropical fish commerce a really bad name. They cannot, 
however, hold a candle to the unethical distributors of SE Asia and Nigeria.

I had a Singapore merchant offer to attach any 
species/sub-species/collection-location information I wanted to wild 
Bettas. His only interest was in making the sale to me, and he had no 
concept of what he was doing to the hobby (or he did not care).

> 
> Anyway, this is one guys opinion and you are free to disagree as it is
> just an opinion.

Rather than disagree (I don't) I'd like to offer a suggestion. Let's see 
if we can do something that will fix it.

AKA standards in nomenclature have been tied to KMI for quite a while. 
Unfortunately Ken is only one person and cannot bring out a monthly 
revision to reflect the latest knowledge. Is there a better way? That we 
still define /nigerianus/ as a sub-species of /gardneri/ is a glaring 
example. These are two of our most popular species, and any of us who 
have done much breeding of them are aware that they really are two 
different species. Ken may have been quite correct in keeping them 
together, lacking a recent reevaluation of that group in the scientific 
literature, but it is no help to the poor newby who gets corrected on 
his identification of his own fish, the very first time he brings a bag 
to the club for the auction. More likely, he will be ashamed and 
offended and go get some chicklets (at PetsMart?). :-)

We can do better, I feel. Rather than offer my prejudiced view of how to 
do that, I'd like to see suggestions from others as to how we can deal 
with the problem of accurate identification for breeding purposes and 
the simultaneous need for simplicity in the names. Not an entirely 
trivial task, I suspect.

Wright

-- 
Wright Huntley - Rt. 001 Box K36, Bishop CA 93514 - whuntley at verizon_net 
- 760 872-3995 760 874-2000 (CA) or 941 866-0500 (FL).

Help stamp out TLAs! [Three-letter-abreviations] :-)

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