[Leps-l] Any Latin authorities on the list?

[Jim Mason]

What is the translation of Thorybes pylades?

 

Jim Mason, Naturalist

J...@gpnc.org

Great Plains Nature Center

6232 E. 29th Street North

Wichita, KS 67220-2200

316-683-5499 x103 - voice

316-688-9555 - fax

www.gpnc.org

 

[Herb Wilson]

Hi Jim,

Thorbybes comes from the Greek thorybos, meaning noise.  Pylades means faithful friend; Pylades was a friend of Orestes.

Best,

Herb

Dr. Herb Wilson 
Department of Biology 
5739 Mayflower Hill Drive 
Colby College 
Waterville, ME  04901 

Phone:        (207) 859-5739                E-mail: whwi...@colby.edu 
FAX:           (207) 859-5705 
Web sites:    http://web.colby.edu/whwilson/ 
                   http://web.colby.edu/mainebirds/ 

There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot.  

Aldo Leopold, Sand County Almanac

_______________________________________________
Leps-l mailing list
Lep...@mailman.yale.edu
http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/leps-l

[Steve Plumb]

I wondered why a butterfly would have a name that includes "noise".  With a little searching I came up with this on page 157 of Scudder's "Brief guide to the commoner butterflies of the northern United States and Canada".

later in life it makes a larger nest from one or more leaves after the habit of Epargyreus; it is very cleanly, always ejecting its excrement outside its nest with a snap which sends it to a distance.

I didn't find anything similar in descriptions of other Thorybes.  The use of Thorybes certainly predates this reference.   The Southern Cloudywing, Thorybes bathyllus was described by J.E. Smith in 1797.

Just curious,

Steve Plumb
455 E Pond Rd
Nobleboro, ME 04555

207 563-8953