Systematics, sex and social commentary

A caddisfly with a message for a name

Caddisflies need no introduction to fly fishermen.  The insect order Trichoptera includes about 14,500 species whose larvae are aquatic and adults terrestrial.  They are found in and near freshwater lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.

Larvae of many species use silk to bind together bits of material, such as sand, gravel or sticks, into a case that is occupied and carried around by the larva.  Some entrepreneurial entomology types raise caddisflies in aquaria in which they provide small shards of gemstones.  The result is insect-manufactured jewelry.  The etymology of caddis is not known, but the word shows up in Izaak Walton’s The Compleat Angler in 1653.  One enticing idea is that it might have evolved from cadyss, a word used in the 15^th century to refer to silk cloth.

I know firsthand that speaking about genitalia can push the boundaries of acceptable social discourse.  My best friend in grad school and I, after spending our day dissecting and studying the genitalia of beetles, were standing in line for tickets at a movie theater.  We were gesticulating with our hands as we tried to describe details of beetle’s intromittant organs when our wives, thoroughly embarrassed, threw us elbows and the evil eye.

So, it’s not surprising that it was considered scandalous when, in the 18^th century, Linnaeus referred to the sexual parts of flowers in his classification of plants.  For example, Octandria monogynia, a plant with eight stamen and one pistil, was described by Linnaeus as eight men in the same bride’s chamber.  This was so shocking that the Pope would not allow Linnaeus’ papers in the Vatican’s library.  And the Prussian physician and botanist, Johann Siegesbeck, referred to his system as repugnant, immoral, loathsome harlotry.  This background helps explain the origins, and motive, for a genus name created by Linnaeus:  Sigesbeckia.  As Linnaeus had explained in Critica botanica, he believed that a link should exist between a plant and the person or persons for whom it was named.  The genus in question is a stinkweed that Linnaeus characterized as small and useless.  Such insulting patronyms are peppered through the list of scientific names, but a new species from Kosovo has what may be largest target yet in its sights.

A new species of caddisfly from the Sharr Moutains of Kosovo has been named Potamophylax humoinsapiens.  The name combines humo, meaning to cover with soil or bury, and insapiens, meaning unwise.  The authors explain that the epithet points to the unwise and careless treatment of the places where the new species lives including illegal logging, pollution, and the construction of a hydroelectric power plant.  As a result of the latter, parts of the Lepenc River are literally buried in large pipes.  It is no accident, of course, that, when pronouncing the new species name, it sounds like you’re saying Homo inspapiens.

Further Reading

Heard, S. B. (2020) Charles Darwin’s Barnacle and David Bowie’s Spider: How Scientific Names Celebrate Adventurers, Heroes, and Even a Few Scoundrels.  Yale University Press.

Ibrahimi, H., Bilalli, A., Gashi, A., Kotori, L.G., Stamenkovic, V.S., and D. Geci (2023) Potamophylax humoinsapiens sp. n. (Trichoptera, Limnephilidae), a new species from the Sharr Mountains, Republic of Kosovo.  Biodiversity Data Journal 11: e97969.  https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e97969.