At 18:36 21-4-2006, you wrote:
Dear chaetologists,
Returning from a short vacation I noticed the
discussion on above mentioned topic. I distinctly
remember the first polychaete conference (I was
at sea during the Copenhagen meeting, so cannot
have picked up the idea there) where David George
pointed out that we were discussing polychaetes
and that from this viewpoint chaetae (and
derivates) was more consistent than setae. Ever
since I have been trying to consistently use
chaetae instead of setae, which I used before
that time (and I hope indeed only before that time).
Sergio's research in dictionaries explains the
English view. Being forced to study 5 years of
Greek and 6 of Latin during my grammar school
(mal)formation, I have the distinct feeling (but
my dictionnaries are not sophisticated enough to
confirm this) that saeta (or alternative spelling
seta) is just the Latin usage (transliteration)
of the older Greek chaeta (chaitè). That the
Romans gave a slightly different meaning to saeta
(referring to the bristles of e.g. swine, but
also in the combination with equina = horse's),
while the Greek chaeta indeed has been used for
(long) hair (human, but also for the horse's
mane), which does not alter the fact that it
essentially is the same word: hair. As such, in
my opinion the discussion on the meaning (either
"long and slender" or "stiff") is rather academic.
Having said this, Sergio's comment that
Polychaeta (or its antonym, Oligo-) might be
wrongly constructed is incorrect. The ICN
Recommendation II, 11, quite clearly states: In
forming a compound name, a zoologist should not
choose components of which one is Greek and the
other Latin. Poly is definitely Greek, in
combinations meaning "rich in", as shown for
instance in polyanthès, rich in flowers, and chaitè too is Greek.
If we would follow the intention of the
recommendation, I disagree with Jim Blake
(although he is right that consensus was not
reached), and would be of the opinion that chaet-
would surely be more appropriate that set-.
chaetily (I see the association, but cannot resist the signature),
dr. Harry A. ten Hove
Zoological Museum
University of Amsterdam
Mauritskade 57
P.O.B. 94766, 1090 GT Amsterdam
the Netherlands
hove at science.uva.nlhttp://www.science.uva.nl/ZMA/invertebrates
