scholarly journals Pranked by Audubon: Constantine S. Rafinesque's description of John James Audubon's imaginary Kentucky mammals

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neal Woodman

The North American naturalist Constantine S. Rafinesque spent much of the year 1818 engaged in a solo journey down the Ohio River Valley to explore parts of what was then the western United States. Along the way, he visited a number of fellow naturalists, and he spent more than a week at the Henderson, Kentucky, home of artist and ornithologist John James Audubon. During the succeeding two years, Rafinesque published descriptions of new species that resulted from his expedition, including eleven species of fishes that eventually proved to have been invented by Audubon as a prank on the credulous naturalist. Less well known are a number of “wild rats” described by Rafinesque that include one recognized species (Musculus leucopus) and ten other, imaginary “species” fabricated by Audubon (Gerbillus leonurus, G. megalops, Spalax trivittata, Cricetus fasciatus, Sorex cerulescens, S. melanotis, Musculus nigricans, Lemmus albovittatus, L. talpoides, Sciurus ruber). Rafinesque's unpublished sketches of these animals provide important insight regarding the supposed nature of the animals invented by Audubon and ultimately published by Rafinesque.

Phytotaxa ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 257 (3) ◽  
pp. 249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leigh A. Johnson ◽  
David Gowen ◽  
Robert L. Johnson ◽  
Holly Brabazon ◽  
Emily D. Goates

Two species endemic to California in the western United States, Navarretia crystallina and N. miwukensis, are here described. Both species occur on soils derived from pyroclastic flows. N. crystallina is distributed more widely, generally at higher elevations, and occurs predominantly to the north and east of N. miwukensis. Though similar in habit to N. divaricata and N. prolifera, N. crystallina and N. miwukensis can be distinguished consistently from both of these species by inflorescence structure, bract lobing, and flower size, and from each other by bract and calyx lobe shape, inflorescence indumentum, and stamen insertion. The species are also distinguishable by DNA sequences.


2018 ◽  
Vol 93 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-290
Author(s):  
J. Mark Erickson

AbstractIn midcontinent North America, the Fox Hills Formation (Upper Cretaceous, upper Maastrichtian) preserves the last marine faunas in the central Western Interior Seaway (WIS).Neritoptyx hogansoninew species, a small littoral snail, exhibited allometric change from smooth to corded ornament and rounded to shouldered shape during growth. Specimens preserve a zig-zag pigment pattern that changes to an axial pattern during growth.Neritoptyx hogansoninew species was preyed on by decapod crustaceans, and spent shells were occupied by pagurid crabs. Dead mollusk shells, particularly those ofCrassostrea subtrigonalis(Evans and Shumard, 1857), provided a hard substrate to which they adhered on the Fox Hills tidal flats. This new neritimorph gastropod establishes a paleogeographic and chronostratigraphic proxy for intertidal conditions on the Dakota Isthmus during the late Maastrichtian. Presence of a neritid extends the marine tropical/temperate boundary in the WIS northward to ~44° late Maastrichtian paleolatitude. Late Maastrichtian closure of the isthmus subsequently altered marine heat transfer by interrupting northward flow of tropical currents from the Gulf Coast by as much as 1 to 1.5 million years before the Cretaceous ended.UUID:http://zoobank.org/3ba56c07-fcca-4925-a2f0-df663fc3a06b


1965 ◽  
Vol 97 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. R. Hopping

AbstractGroup VII of North American Ips contains I. thomasi, new species, I. borealis Swaine and I. swainei R. Hopping. They are less than 4.0 mm. long and females have the front of the head or at least the vertex smooth and shining, impunctate, or with very fine sparse punctures; males are more coarsely granulate-punctate on the frons. The species are described and a key is given. All breed in Picea in Canada and northern United States.


Plant Disease ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 84 (8) ◽  
pp. 901-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerald K. Pataky ◽  
Lindsey J. du Toit ◽  
Noah D. Freeman

Maize accessions were evaluated in 1997, 1998, and 1999 to identify additional sources of Stewart's wilt resistance and to determine if reactions differed among accessions collected from various regions of the United States and throughout the world. The distributions of Stewart's wilt reactions rated from 1 (no appreciable spread of symptoms) to 9 (dead plants) were relatively similar among groups of accessions from all regions of the world except for those from the Mid-Atlantic/Ohio River Valley region of the United States, the southern United States, and the northeastern United States. The mean and median Stewart's wilt rating for 1,991 accessions evaluated in 1997 was 4. The mean Stewart's wilt rating for 245 accessions collected from the Mid-Atlantic/Ohio River Valley region was 3.1, which was significantly lower than that for accessions from all other regions. The mean rating for accessions from the southern United States was 3.7, which also was lower than mean ratings for accessions from all other regions. Ratings from trials in 1997 and 1998 were highly correlated (r = 0.87) for 292 accessions and 15 sweet corn hybrid checks evaluated in both years. Of 20 accessions rated below 2 in 1997 and 1998, seven were from Virginia, seven were from the Ohio River Valley or central Corn Belt of the United States, four were from the northern or western Corn Belt of the United States, and two were from Spain. Ratings for these accessions ranged from 1.7 to 3.1 in 1999. Ratings ranged from 2.6 to 3.7 for F1 hybrids of these accessions crossed with one of two susceptible sweet corn inbreds, CrseW30 or Crse16, which were rated 5.7 and 5.4, respectively. Based on the reactions of this collection of germ plasm, it appears that high levels of Stewart's wilt resistance are prevalent only among accessions collected from areas where the disease has been endemic for several years, whereas moderate levels of resistance can be found in accessions collected from nearly everywhere in the world.


Author(s):  
Patricia J. Vittum

This chapter examines masked chafers, which belong to the large genus of North and South American beetles, the Cyclocephala, in the order Coleoptera, family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Dynastinae, tribe Cyclocephalini. Approximately a dozen of these species occur in North America, but only five species are regularly associated with turfgrass cultivation: the northern masked chafer; the southern masked chafer; Cyclocephala pasadenae (Casey); Cyclocephala hirta LeConte; and Cyclocephala parallela Casey. Masked chafer grubs are important turfgrass-infesting species, causing extensive damage to cultivated turf during late summer and early fall. They are the most injurious root-feeding pests of turfgrass throughout much of the Ohio River Valley and the midwestern United States. Adult masked chafers have blunt spatulate mandibles that are unsuited for feeding on plant tissues; as far as is known, they do not feed.


2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (9) ◽  
pp. 235-242
Author(s):  
J.G. Schulte ◽  
A.H. Vicory

Source water quality is of major concern to all drinking water utilities. The accidental introduction of contaminants to their source water is a constant threat to utilities withdrawing water from navigable or industrialized rivers. The events of 11 September, 2001 in the United States have heightened concern for drinking water utility security as their source water and finished water may be targets for terrorist acts. Efforts are underway in several parts of the United States to strengthen early warning capabilities. This paper will focus on those efforts in the Ohio River Valley Basin.


1928 ◽  
Vol 60 (7) ◽  
pp. 177-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry H. Knight

In working up considerable material which the writer collected in the western United States certain new species of Hadronema have been recognized, with the result that a key is provided for the thirteen known species of which five are described as new. In 1918, Mr. E. H. Gibson published a key (Can. Ent., xl, pp. 81-84) to the species known to him, describing two new species. The writer examined these types in the U. S. National Museum during 1926 and found that Hadronema confraterna Gib. is in fact a good species of Lopidea, allied to Lopidea lepidii Kngt., but smaller and the left clasper somewhat differently shaped.


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