American Scientist

To the Editors:

I enjoyed reading “The Challenge of Restoring Biodiversity’s Outer Edge” (Spotlight, May–June) about new science informing the restoration of a rare butterfly. But for “Saint Francis” and “satyr” to occur together in the same sentence—much less a three-word phrase—really begs for an explanation. How did this animal get its name?

Tom Deal
Seattle, WA

Associate editor Katie L. Burke responds:

Your question is actually two questions: Why are satyr butterflies called satyrs and why is this particular one named after Saint Francis? The latter question is addressed in the original scientific description of the butterfly in a 1989 paper in the Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society by David K. Parshall and Thomas W. Kral. The authors state, “We name the new subspecies in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, known for kindness to animals and a love of natural beauty.” Later, they allude to the rare butterfly’s dire need for protection, implying that if ever there was an animal in need of divine intervention, this one is a contender.

According to Nick Haddad, numerous citations point to the earliest reference using the name satyr for this group of butterflies as a 1793 publication by J. C. Fabricius (with the hefty title of Entomologia systematica emendata et aucta. Secundum classes, ordines, genera, species adjectis synonimis, locis, observationibus, descriptionibus). In an email, Erik Aschehoug wrote, “This reference still doesn’t explain the motivation for why they are named satyrs.” He noted that it could relate to some trait of the mythical creatures, like their forest habitat, or the duality of the butterflies’ preference for both sun and shade. He added that these were just guesses, and others are free to speculate as well, because he and his colleagues still have not found a definitive answer.