Re: language and dna

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Daniel J. Milton" <dmilt1896@...> wrote:

>
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Mate Kapovic" <mkapovic@> wrote:
> >
> > I read somewhere that they discovered a language in which there were
> 23 (or something like that) different names for 23 different species
> of butterflies (?) which were identical on first sight but proved
> different by DNA analysis. The problem is I forgot the exact details.
> > Does anybody have a reference and/or details about this case (or
> something similar)?
> >
> > Mate
> ******
> See the February New Scientist story:
> http://tinyurl.com/ywqdez
> Note that it's the larvae (edible?) they have names for. These may
> look more different than the adults. I'll try to find more.
> Dan

******
Yep!
Here's the paper in PNAS
http://tinyurl.com/2h3zhj

"A. fulgerator is a complex of at least 10 species in this region.
Largely sympatric, these taxa have mostly different caterpillar food
plants, mostly distinctive caterpillars, and somewhat different
ecosystem preferences but only subtly differing adults with no
genitalic divergence."
Unless I missed it, there's nothing in the paper about local
languages. Harrison is not one of the authors, and I don't know where
he got his information from.
Dan