Article
ID: CBB493409046

‘Shout hurrah!’ New thoughts on the origin and meaning of the bat species name Ia io, created in 1902 by Oldfield Thomas FRS (2022)

unapi
Naturalists Biographies Terminology and nomenclature Bats 20th century, early Oldfield Thomas, Michael Rogers

In 1902, British naturalist Oldfield Thomas discovered a new species of bat in a collection of specimens sent to him from China. He named the new species Ia io, thereby creating a species name that is four letters in length—the shortest possible name allowed under the rules for naming a new species. In the time since, biologists have wondered why he chose this unusual name and what the name might mean in translation. The most widespread theory on the short name is that he was challenged by an American colleague to deliberately create the shortest species name possible. The question of what the name might mean in translation is more problematic. ‘Ia’ has been thought by most taxonomists to be a meaningless word, but ‘io’ has been suggested to refer to a mythological Greek priestess named Io. Herein, I show that the species name Ia io translates into ‘Shout hurrah!’ and demonstrate that the events in Oldfield Thomas's early professional life gave him an excellent reason for choosing this unusual species name in 1902.

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Authors & Contributors
Karl Schulze-Hagen
Roche, Michael
Dominik Berrens
Francis, Patricia
Walker, Brian M.
Tellado, J. M.
Journals
Archives of Natural History
The Journal of New Zealand Studies
Studium: Tijdschrift voor Wetenschaps- en Universiteitgeschiedenis
Llull: Revista de la Sociedad Española de Historia de las Ciencias y de las Técnicas
Leonardo
Journal of the History of Dentistry
Publishers
Knesebeck Verlag
River Press
Johns Hopkins University Press
Island Press
Garret
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
Concepts
Naturalists
Biographies
Natural history
Entomology
Bats
Animal behavior
People
Smith, William Walter
Heinroth, Magdalena
Verhrats’kyi, Ivan
Heinroth, Katharina
Wilson, Robert Adams
Tate, Ralph
Time Periods
20th century, early
19th century
20th century, late
20th century
17th century
16th century
Places
United States
Spain
New Zealand
Germany
Great Britain
Arctic regions
Institutions
Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Spain)
British Museum. Natural History
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