Etymology of the earwigfly, Merope tuber Newman (Mecoptera: Meropeidae): Simply dull or just inscrutable?

  • The naturalist Edward Newman did not provide an etymology for the mecopteran Merope tuber when he described it in 1838. In 1872 Asa Fitch asserted that the genus was named after Merope one of the Pleiades sisters of Greek mythology; however, he provided no reason for his assumption. We researched several etymological alternatives. We concur with Fitch and conclude that Newman did indeed name the genus Merope after the dullest of the Pleiades sisters.

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Metadaten
Author:Louis A. Somma
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30-1141365
URL:http://www.centerforsystematicentomology.org/insectamundi/
ISSN:1942-1354
ISSN:0749-6737
Parent Title (English):Insecta mundi : a journal of world insect systematics
Series (Serial Number):Insecta Mundi (0013)
Publisher:Center for Systematic Entomology
Place of publication:Gainesville, Fla.
Document Type:Part of Periodical
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2009/12/22
Year of first Publication:2007
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Contributing Corporation:Center for Systematic Entomology, Inc.
Release Date:2009/12/22
Source:Gainesville : http://www.centerforsystematicentomology.org/insectamundi/
HeBIS-PPN:221740910
Dewey Decimal Classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 59 Tiere (Zoologie) / 590 Tiere (Zoologie)
Sammlungen:Sammlung Biologie / Sondersammelgebiets-Volltexte
Licence (German):License LogoDeutsches Urheberrecht