Jonathan R. Mawdsley.
The entomological collection of Thomas Say.
Psyche 100(3-4):163-171, 1993.

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THE ENTOMOLOGICAL COLLECTION OF THOMAS SAY Department of Entomology
Museum of Comparative Zoology
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
The 770 remaining specimens of the entomological collection of Thomas Say presently housed in the Museum of Comparative Zoology are catalogued for the first time, including 71 specimens representing 56 species described by Say which are labelled in Say's handwriting and which are probably those specimens on which Say's species descriptions were based. The history of the Say entomological collection is recounted. Based on signatures on labels in the present Say collection material, it is apparent that Say exchanged specimens with many European entomologists, includ- ing Dupont, Germar, Laporte de Castelnau, Motschulsky, Schoen- herr, Sturm, and Wiedemann. A protocol for the designation of Say lectotypes and neotypes is proposed.
The entomological collection of Thomas Say has become one of the legendary "holy grails" of entomology, in part because Say described over 1575 species of insects, and in part because Say's collection is conventionally assumed to have been completely destroyed (LeConte 1859a:v-vi, xix (footnote); Mallis 1971:25). In the present paper, I report for the first time on the 770 remaining specimens from the Say collection preserved at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, including 71 specimens representing 56 species described by Say and which presumably are those on which Say's original descriptions were based. I have proposed below a protocol for designation of Say lecto- types and neotypes. Specimens determined by Say and which may Manuscript received 11 August 1993.
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have been used by Say in formulating his descriptions are by no means rare, but many recent authors have overlooked this material (nearly all of which is housed in the MCZ) when designating Say neotypes.
Thomas Say began to collect insects in his youth, and his col- lection continued to grow during the years of his residence in Philadelphia (1787-1825), enhanced by numerous collecting trips to various parts of the country (for a map of Say's travels, see Weiss and Ziegler 1931: 189). Following his move to New Har- mony, Indiana, Say's collection came under relentless attack from various insect pests. If contemporary accounts are to be believed, Say's entomological collection was consumed in part by no fewer than 6 species of pests, including lepidopterans, several species of Dermestidae, a species of Cleridae, and a mite (Weiss and Ziegler 193 1: 154). Following Say's death in 1834, the collection was shipped by his widow, Lucy Say, to the Academy of Natural Sci- ences in Philadelphia, where it was advanced in 1836 to T. W. Harris of Cambridge, Massachusetts, for proper curation. Harris was at the time librarian of Harvard College, and his official duties prevented him from examining the collection for almost a year, during which time it sat relatively unprotected in Harris's barn. When Harris finally was able to examine the collection, he found that many specimens had been destroyed or disarticulated by der- mestid larvae. Harris wrote at least 8 letters which have survived bemoaning the deplorable state of the collection, but an extensive series of manuscript notes published 43 years after Harris's death by S. Scudder (1 899a; 1899b) reveal that the collection might not have been so badly damaged as was implied by Harris's letters. Harris's comment that "the [Say] cabinet does not contain one half of the species which he has described" (Weiss and Ziegler 1931:206) is particularly important for taxonomists interested in locating type specimens of Say. It is well known that Say had an extensive foreign and domestic correspondence (see below), and specimens described by Say and labelled in his distinctive hand- writing (for samples see Weiss and Ziegler 193 1 :72, 147, 156) will doubtless be found in the collections of many of Say's correspon- dents. An informal perusal by the present author of the surviving



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portion of the collection of Say's principal domestic correspon- dents Frederick V. and John F. Melsheimer has revealed a number of such specimens. In addition, 768 specimens identified by Say for T. W. Harris in 1834 but not used by Say in his descriptions are presently in the Harris collection in the Museum of Comparative Zoology (Weiss and Ziegler 193 1 : 176) and are suitable for consid- eration as potential neotypes (see below). Harris retained a number of specimens from the Say collection and returned the remainder to the Philadelphia Academy. Begin- ning in the last decade of the previous century, S. Scudder and later S. Henshaw and N. Banks at Harvard began to collect the sur- viving specimens of Say. Their efforts were so successful that by 193 1 the Philadelphia Academy possessed only one specimen from the Say collection (Weiss and Ziegler 1931:211). At the same time, Harvard possessed four boxes of Say specimens (mentioned in Weiss and Ziegler 193 1 :211). These four boxes, labelled "probably from Say" and "Say material found in MCZ when Mr. Henshaw left," have been stored with Harvard's historic Coleoptera collec- tions since 1931. In June 1993, I transferred the contents of these boxes into 5 Cornell drawers and unit trays which are presently housed at the end of the combined LeConte and Horn collections. The species listed by name below are represented in the surviv- ing Say material by specimens bearing Say's hand-written determi- nation labels which are either signed "Say" or initialed "TS." A number of these specimens also bear the labels of T. W. Harris which usually state "T. SAY TYPE" or "TYPE MEXICO." I have refrained from designating any of these specimens as lectotypes, preferring to leave this task to specialists in the groups to which these species belong. I have given here the original generic combi- nations, family placement, and references as recorded in LeConte (1859a; 1859b) and Bousquet (1993) as well as the number of specimens (numbers written out) presently in the Say collection. Non-type material (which is predominantly European in origin) is listed below as "undetermined specimens" (although many of these specimens were provisionally identified by Say and his foreign correspondents); numbers of these specimens present in the Say collection are given in Arabic numerals. Taxonomists wishing to



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examine these specimens are requested to visit the MCZ in person, as many of these specimens and their labels are extremely fragile and would be destroyed in the mail.
COLEOPTERA
CARABIDAE: 108 undetermined specimens. HALIPLIDAE: 5 undetermined specimens. DYTISCIDAE: Hydroporus bifidus Say 1830-1 834:3 1 (One specimen); Hydroporus interruptus Say l830-1834:32 (One specimen); Dytiscus taeniolis Say l823b:94 (One specimen); Colymbetes nitidus Say l823b:98 (One speci- men); Laccophilus proximus Say 1823b:lOl (One specimen); 15 undetermined specimens. HYDROPHILIDAE: Hydrophilus obtusatus Say 1823a:201-202 (One specimen); 15 undetermined specimens. STAPHYLINIDAE: 3 undetermined specimens. PSE- LAPHIDAE: 1 undetermined specimen. SILPHIDAE; Silpha cau- data Say l823a: 192-1 93 (One specimen); 2 undetermined specimens. LEIODIDAE: 1 undetermined specimen. HISTERI- DAE: One specimen bearing a label with a manuscript name never published by Say; 23 undetermined specimens. LUCANIDAE: 3 undetermined specimens. SCARABAEIDAE: Ateuchus humectus Say 1832:4-5 (One specimen); Copris incerta Say 1835: 175 (One specimen); Copris procidua Say 1835: 176-177 (One specimen); Onthophagus incensus Say 1835: 173 (Two specimens); Onthopha- gus viridicatus Say 1835:173-174 (One specimen); Anomala cincta Say 1835: 18 1-1 82 (Two specimens); Anomala gemella Say 1835: 18 1 (One specimen); 27 undetermined specimens. TROGI- DAE: Trox canaliculatus Say 1824a:278-279 (Three specimens); Trox capillaris Say 1824a:238 (One specimen); Trox scutellaris Say 1824a:238-239 (Two specimens); 3 undetermined specimens. BYRRHIDAE: 7 undetermined specimens. CHELONARIIDAE: 1 undetermined specimen. HETEROCERIDAE: 1 undetermined specimen. DRYOPIDAE: 8 undetermined specimens. BUPRESTI- DAE; Buprestis divaricata Say 1823a:163-164 (One specimen); 3 undetermined specimens. ELATERIDAE: Elater baridius Say 1830-1 834:79 (One specimen); Elater inflatus Say l825b:258 (One specimen); Elater plebejus Say l825b:263 (One specimen); 16 undetermined specimens. CANTHARIDAE: 3 undetermined specimens. LYCIDAE: 1 undetermined specimen. LAMPYRIDAE: Lampyris trilineata Say 1835: 157 (One specimen); 2 undetermined



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specimens. DERMESTIDAE: Dermestes marmoratus Say 1823a: 197 (One specimen); 1 undetermined specimen. PTINIDAE: 1 undetermined specimen. ANOBIIDAE: 4 undetermined speci- mens. BOSTRICHIDAE: 5 undetermined specimens. LYCTIDAE: 1 undetermined specimen. TROGOSITIDAE: 1 undetermined specimen. CLERIDAE: 9 undetermined specimens. MELYRIDAE: 3 undetermined specimens. LYMEXYLONIDAE: 2 undetermined specimens. NITIDULIDAE: 7 undetermined specimens. CUCUJI- DAE: 7 undetermined specimens. PHALACRIDAE: 6 undeter- mined specimens. EROTYLIDAE: 10 undetermined specimens. COCCINELLIDAE: 16 undetermined specimens. BYTURIDAE: 6 undetermined specimens. COLYDIIDAE: 5 undetermined speci- mens. TENEBRIONIDAE: Hegeter punctatus Say 1835: 182 (One specimen); Blaps celsa Say 1835: 185 (One specimen); Blaps hispi- labris Say 1824b: (no page numbers given) (One specimen); Blaps inaequalis Say 1835: 185-1 86 (One specimen); Blaps opaca Say l824a:263 (One specimen); Blaps parva Say 1835: 186 (One speci- men); Blaps ruida Say 1835: 183 (Two specimens); Opatrum stria- turn Say 1835: 186-1 87 (One specimen); 89 undetermined specimens. ALLECULIDAE: 2 undetermined specimens. LAGRI- IDAE: 1 undetermined specimen. PYTHIDAE: 1 undetermined specimen. OEDEMERIDAE: 5 undetermined specimens. MORDELLIDAE: 4 undetermined specimens. RHIPIPHORIDAE: 2 undetermined specimens. MELOIDAE: 2 undetermined speci- mens. ANTHICIDAE: 2 undetermined specimens. CERAMBYCI- DAE: Moneilema inaequalis Say 1835: 193 (One specimen); 9 undetermined specimens. CHRYSOMELIDAE: Chrysomela auripennis Say l824a: 452 (One specimen); Chrysomela spiraeae Say 1826:297 (Two specimens); Colaspis puncticollis Say 1824a:444 (Two specimens); Cryptocephalus confluentus Say 1824b:(no page numbers given) (One specimen); Galeruca circum- data Say l824a:457 (One specimen); Altica birnarginata Say l825a:85 (One specimen); Hispa atricornis Say 1835: 196 (One specimen); Imatidium cyaneum Say 1824a:435-436 (Three speci- mens); Cassida unipunctata Say 1824a:434 (Three specimens); 58 undetermined specimens. BRENTHIDAE: Two specimens bearing labels with a manuscript name never published by Say; 1 undeter- mined specimen. CURCULIONIDAE: Graphorhinus vadosus Say 183 1 :8-9 (One specimen); Tanymecus lacaena Say 1 83 1 : 9 (One specimen); Barynotus granulatus Say 183 1 : 12 (One specimen);



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Lixus lateralis Say 183 1 : 14 (One specimen); Anthonomus (Odon- topus) calceatus Say 183 1 : 15 (One specimen); Orchestes pallicor- nis Say 183 1 : 16-1 7 (One specimen); Baridius striatus Say 183 1 : 17-1 8 (One specimen); Baridius trinotatus Say 183 1 : 17 (One specimen); Ceutorhynchus inaequalis Say 183 1 :20 (One speci- men); Ceutorhynchus triangularis Say 183 1 :20 (One specimen); Rhynchophorus truncatus Say 183 1 :22 (Two specimens); Rhyn- chophorus venatus Say 183 1 :22 (One specimen); Rhynchaenus lin- eaticollis Say 1824a:3 13 (One specimen); One specimen bearing a label with a manuscript name never published by Say; 180 undeter- mined specimens. SCOLYTIDAE: One specimen bearing a label with a manuscript name never published by Say; 3 undetermined specimens.
HEMIPTERA
PENTATOMIDAE: 3 undetermined specimens.
HOMOPTERA
MEMBRACIDAE: One specimen bearing a label with a manu- script name never published by Say.
HYMENOPTERA
ICHNEUMONIDAE: Ichneumon comptus Say 1836:229 (One specimen); Ichneumon duplicatus Say 1836:230-23 1 (One speci- men); Ichneumon navus Say l836:229-230 (One specimen); Ophion brachiator Say 1836:240 (One specimen). Weiss and Ziegler (193 1: 185-188) noted that Say's foreign cor- respondence probably exceeded that of any of his American con- temporaries. Among his known foreign correspondents were Audouin, Dejean, Fallen, Germar, Gravenhorst, Klug, Manner- heim, Pagenstecher, Sturm, Schoenherr, and Wiedemann. That Say exchanged specimens with many of his correspondents is revealed by numerous foreign specimens in the MCZ Say material bearing labels with the signatures of Dupont, Germar, Laporte de Castel- nau, Motschulsky, Schoenherr, Sturm, and Wiedemann. It is possi- ble that Say was not in direct communication with some of these



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entomologists but instead received their specimens from other cor- respondents.
PROTOCOL FOR DESIGNATION OF SAY LECTOTYPES AND NEOTYPES The lack of any consistent methodology in the work of previous taxonomists who have designated Say neotypes has led me to pro- pose the following protocol for designation of Say lectotypes and neotypes. Taxonomists are strongly advised to keep in mind the provisions of Article 75 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature when designating neotypes.
DESIGNATING SAY LECTOTYPES
1 .)
Specimens should be labelled in Say's handwriting. 2.)
Specimens should belong to one of the collections known to possess material used by Say in preparing his descriptions (Say collection or Melsheimer collection, Museum of Com- parative Zoology, or the collections of Say's foreign corre- spondents).
3.)
Specimens should (preferably) be specifically mentioned in Say's descriptions.
DESIGNATING SAY NEOTYPES
"Exceptional circumstances" (as defined in Article 75b(ii) of ICZN, third edition) must be demonstrated. Specimens should be designated preferentially from material examined by Say but not necessarily used in his descriptions (primarily Harris collection, Museum of Comparative Zool- ogy, but also some material in the Say collection and in the collections of Say's foreign correspondents). If no suitable specimen examined by Say is available, neo- types should then be designated preferentially from material in the LeConte collection (Museum of Comparative Zool- ogy), as LeConte is responsible for modern conceptions of most species described by Say (LeConte 1859a:v-vi; Mallis 197 1 :24-25).
If no suitable specimens are available in any of the above collections, taxonomists may designate neotypes from other



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material which they deem suitable. Original type localities of Say species should be conserved through neotype locality designations as much as possible.
BOUSQUET, Y.
1993. On Thomas Say's Entomological Publications Printed in New Har- mony, Indiana. Entomological News 104: 1: 1-14. LECONTE, J; L.
1859a (ed.). The Complete Writings of Thomas Say on the Entomology of North America, Volume I. Balliere Brothers, New York. xxiv + 412 pp. + 54 plates.
1859b (ed.). The Complete Writings of Thomas ~,ay"on the Entomology of North America, Volume 11. Balliere Brothers, New York. iv + 814 pp. MALLIS, A.
1971. American Entomologists. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey. xiv + 549 pp.
SAY, T.
1823a. Descriptions of Coleopterous Insects collected in the late Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, performed by order of Mr. Calhoun, Secretary of War, under the Command of Major Long. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 3: 139-216. 1823b. Descriptions of Insects of the families of Carabici and Hydrocanthari of Latreille, inhabiting North America. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, new series 2: 1: 1-109. 1824a. Descriptions of Coleopterous Insects collected in the late Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, performed by order of Mr. Calhoun, Secretary of War, under the Command of Major Long. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 3: 238-282, 298-331, 403-462. 1824b. American Entomology, Volume 1. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (No page numbers given).
1825a. Descriptions of Coleopterous Insects collected in the late Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, performed by order of Mr. Calhoun, Secretary of War, under the Command of Major Long. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 4: 83-99. 1825b.Descriptions of new American species of the Genera Buprestis, Tra- chys, and Elater. Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York 1:2: 249-268.
1826. Descriptions of new species of Coleopterous Insects, inhabiting the United States. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadel- phia 5: 237-284,293-304.
1830-1834. Descriptions of new species of North American Insects, and observations on some of the species already described. School Press, New Harmony, Indiana. 81 pp.
183 1. Descriptions of North American Curculionides, and an arrangement of some of our known species, agreeably to the method of Schoenherr. School Press, New Harmony, Indiana. 30 pp.



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1832. New species of North American Insects, found by Joseph Barabino, chiefly in Louisiana. School Press, New Harmony, Indiana. 16 pp. 1835. Descriptions of new North American Coleopterous Insects, and obser- vations on some already described. Boston Journal of Natural History 1:2: 151-203.
1836. Descriptions of new North American Hymenoptera, and observations on some already described. Boston Journal of Natural History 1:3: 2 10-305.
SCUDDER, S. H.
1899a. Manuscript notes by the late Thaddeus William Harris on Say's Insects and Papers - I. Psyche 8: 281: 399-40 1. 1899b. Manuscript notes by the late Thaddeus William Harris on Say's Insects and Papers - 11. Psyche 8: 282: 41 1-414. WEISS, H. B. AND ZIEGLER, G. M.
1931. Thomas Say, Early American Naturalist. C. C. Thomas, Springfield, Illinois. xiv + 260 pp.




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