Darwin-L Message Log 2:146 (October 1993)

Academic Discussion on the History and Theory of the Historical Sciences

This is one message from the Archives of Darwin-L (1993–1997), a professional discussion group on the history and theory of the historical sciences.

Note: Additional publications on evolution and the historical sciences by the Darwin-L list owner are available on SSRN.

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<2:146>From KGA@UNCMVS.OIT.UNC.EDU  Fri Oct 29 07:48:30 1993

Date: Fri, 29 Oct 93 08:51 EDT
From: "Kermyt G Anderson"         <KGA@UNCMVS.OIT.UNC.EDU>
To: darwin-l@ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: Re: caveman

Robert C Richardson (Richards@UCBEH.San.UC.edu) writes,

> The references seem clearly to be suggestive of something human, or nearly
> so.  T. H. Huxley reports that one of Linnaeus' students includes "Troglodyta
> Bontii" and "Lucifer Aldrovandi" as among the "Anthropomorpha," or what
> Huxley glosses as "man-like apes."  Even if the suggestion is meant to be
> that the first is an anthropoid ape in the genus Troglodytes (which seems
> anachronistic), these had an ambiguous status in the 17th Century.  In fact,
> Linnaeus reclassified the latter as a species of Homo.

Is this in any way related to the naming of the chimpanzee as
_Pan troglodytes_? Obviously, the species was named long before
anyone in Europe knew much about the ecology or behavior of wild
chimpanzees--so why does their scientific name characterize them as
cave dwellers?

KG Anderson
KGA@UNCMVS.OIT.UNC.EDU

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