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Haliastur sphenurus johannae described by Louis Lucien Brasil (1865–1918) (1 Viewer)

Taphrospilus

Well-known member
I am not sure is the johannae here is present in today's HBW Alive.

Is it possible that it is a dedication to Henri Jouan, captain of the frigate Bonite who accompanied Emile Deplanche (1824-1875) French surgeon to New Caledonia? He is mentioned here. Again an -ae ending (woman??). (I am sure Laurent will clarify if it is possible).

Anyway Deplanche is mentioned as well in HBW Alive under deplanchii.

At least the date of death is questionable as I found as well:

Emile Deplanche, chirurgien de marine, né en 1824, mort à Argentan en 1874, séjourna en Nouvelle-Calédonie en même temps que Vieillard

See also here but here he died 30 March 1875.
 
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● the debated subspecies Haliastur sphenurus "johannae" BRASIL 1916

Also note the Introduction by Dr. Louis Brasil:
La collection dont il s'agit appartient au Musée d'Histoire naturelle de Caen. Elle est presque exclusivement constituée de dons faits de 1865 à 1869 par le chirurgien de marine E. Deplanche et le commandant H. Jouan. Il est à remarquer que grâce au premier de ces marins, notre Musée a possédé, plus de dix ans avant qu'elles ne soient décrites, un certain nombre d'espèces comme …"
[…]
Les oiseaux rapportés par Jouan ont été offerts, dit-il, « partie au Muséum d'Histoire naturelle de Paris, partie au Musée de Cherbourg » … "
If relevant or not, I do not know.
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Hard to be sure in the absence of any explicit dedication.

Johanna (genitive Johannae) is certainly only a feminine surname; the standard masculine form would be Johannes (genitive Johannis).
Johanna might be used as a Latin equivalent for a variety of feminine first names that all have the same origin (the Hebrew name Yochanan); in some cases, the origin may be obvious, as in Johanne, Jehanne, Jeanne, Jean, Joan, Juana, Jane, Janet, Jenny, etc., in others less, as in Hanne, Iva, Shawn, Siobhan, Vanja, Yannick...

Naming a taxon johannae after a man would strike me as odd, particularly if the author had some knowledge of Latin. (I would expect this was the case for Sharpe, who must have spent a fair amount of time in Latin books to produce the works he produced. No idea about Louis Brasil.) But of course people sometimes do odd things. ;)
 
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We might come closer on Sharpes johannae if we identify the dedication for johanna here. Mrs Emily Mary Sharpe used mainly names of women (eliza, laura, alicia, johanna maybe daughters or relatives to Mr. Butler?)

But remember also this thread.
 
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If relevant to Haliastur sphenurus "johannae" BRASIL 1916 ...?
Henri Jouan (1821 - 1907) was born in Tréau city (boroughs of Cherbourg), son of a General and former governor of Cherbourg, was educated at the local College, and then entered the Naval Academy in November 1836. He was on board the frigate Médée when it left in October 1838 for Mexico and participated in the Battle of Vera Cruz. Between 1839 and 1843, he traversed the Atlantic and the Mediterranean on board the Beautiful Hen. In September 1851, he was on the corvette L'Artémise bound for the South Seas, where spent six years. During this time he published many papers on the ethnography, fauna, and flora of Polynesia. The Knight's Cross of the Legion of Honour was awarded to him in December 1857 for services rendered to his country in his long and arduous campaign. Two years later he was back in command of the transport La Bonite, assigned to the local station of New Caledonia. Jouan took an active part in the Shipping of Korea (1866) and in the attack on Ganghwa. In March 1870, he commanded the transport Sarthe, assigned to travel to Saigon and Toulon in Cochin by way of the newly-opened Suez Canal. Appointed Captain in 1873, he commanded the battleship Suffren and three years later was made head of the Division of the crews of the Fleet. He was a member of the National Society of Natural Sciences and Mathematics of Cherbourg for fifty years and was elected its president ten times. (here)
However; enjoy!
 
To be a little bit more precise about his death from Mémoires de la Société nationale des sciences naturelles et mathématiques de Cherbourg, Vol 37, p. 1ff:

Henri Jouan, décédé à Cherbourg, le 17 juin 1907, dans sa 87" année.

...died in Cherbourg 17 June 1907.

Nevertheless it is worth to consider a possible wife of this gentleman here in the Nécrologie p.52-56. It is not mentioned there that he was married but maybe there is a Johanna Brasil (or the french version of Johanna (Jeanne))?
 
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It is not mentioned there that he was married
It is, actually:
"Aussi la Société exprime-t-elle à sa veuve et à ses filles la part qu'elle prend au malheur qui les a frappées."​
"So the Society expresses to his widow and daughters the part that it takes in the misfortune that struck them." He had both a widow, and daughters.
 
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I agree with Laurent (see Post No. 4) in finding it odd that a scientific (and nomenclatural) Giant as Richard Bowdler Sharpe (who described and coined names on hundreds of birds!) should have named a bird johannae commemorating a man [as claimed remembering "John Whitehead"] … especially since Sharpe himself [in the same article (!); On a Collection of Birds from the Island of Palawan, here] simultaneously commemorated the same John Whitehead, in two completely different species; the Owl "Syrnium whiteheadi"* (page 196) and the Whistler "Hyloterpe whiteheadi"** (page 198).

Why would Sharpe choose and give the Flowerpecker another, different name, they are hardly to be confused or (even if taxonomically revised) likely to end up in the same or any closely related Genus?

Thereby, couldn´t it be as simple as:
● the invalid Flowerpecker "Prionochilus johannæ" SHARPE 1888, p. 201, without any dedication [syn. Palawan Flowerpecker (Xanthopygius) Prionochilus plateni BLASIUS 1888]
… instead commemorate Whiteheads mother; Jane Ashton Tinker (johannae being the genitive version of Jane)?

Similar to when Ogilvie-Grant, in 1896, commemorated Whiteheads Father in the Philippine eagle Pithecophaga jefferyi, here (also without any dedication).

Just an idea? A simple speculation, based on nothing more than the above.

Don´t hesitate to prove me wrong!

Björn

PS. Plate of the bird in question, the Flowerpecker, here. Also note the next-following plate; "Calyptomena whiteheadi".

PPS. Or related, as suggested by Martin, to a Woman somehow linked to Sharpe himself?

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* syn. Strix seloputo wiepkeni BLASIUS 1888
** syn. Pachycephala cinerea plateni BLASIUS 1888

It seems like Blasius (and Mr. Platen) deprived Mr. Whitehead on quite a few birds!

And; just for the fun of it, regarding the Owl, in the Report Exploration of Mount Kina Balu, North Borneo 1893 Mr. Whitehead himself (proudly) writes: "This Owl was somewhat scarce, is a new species, and has been named after me, …"

/B
 
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At least Brasils wife name was Marie Blanche né Leforestier here p. 14.

I found as well the possible daughters

  • Adrienne Marie Louise Jeanne Brasil ou Leforestier born 10 May 1893
  • Susanne Adele Brasil born 27 November 1894

Here p. 22

So Haliastur sphenurus johannae could be a dedication to his daughter.

Note: He married her 1902 and the daughters might be from a first marriage?
 
Here p. 103 we can see the birth certificate of Basils daughter (and on the left side the name change due to marriage is mentioned).

As Brasil gave name Haliastur sphenurus johannae the HBW Alive might should consider her instead of Henri Jouan.
 
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I thought it might be her here but birth record here p. 133/166
  • Contexte : Etat civil (communes de Le Mo à R)​

  • Mandeville-en-Bessin
  • Mandeville puis Mandeville-en-Bessin
  • Naissances, Mariages, Décès
  • 1895-1902
does not justify my guess.

But back she was born in Caen here p. 102 of 265 (as the link above seems not anymore to work).

As she may have married it might be difficult to find her death. At least with filae I did not come any closer.

Unfortunatelly his death reacord here p. 183/355 (Luc-sur-Mer) gives as well no additional hint on his daughter.
 
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Are you sure it is the step-daughter and not just the fact that they may have married 9 years later?

She was born as a natural child, but the note in the margin of her birth record says indeed that Brasil was her father -
Par mariage prononcé à la mairie de Caen le trente janvier mil neuf cent deux, Adrienne Marie Louise Jeanne Leforestier dont la naissance est constatée dans l'acte ci-contre a été reconnue et légitimée par ses père et mère Louis Lucien Brasil et Marie Blanche Leforestier.
 
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