Anophthalmus hitleri
Anophthalmus hitleri (Slovene: Hitlerjev brezokec) is a species of blind cave beetle found only in about fifteen humid caves in Slovenia. The blind cave beetle shares its genus with 41 other species and 95 different subspecies.[1] Members of its subfamily (Trechinae) are, like most Carabidae, predatory, so the adults and larvae of A. hitleri are presumed to be predators on smaller cave inhabitants.
| Anophthalmus hitleri | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Carabidae |
| Genus: | Anophthalmus |
| Species: | A. hitleri |
| Binomial name | |
| Anophthalmus hitleri Scheibel, 1937 | |
Name
The scientific name of the beetle comes from an Austrian collector, Oskar Scheibel, who was sold a specimen of a then-undocumented species in 1933. Its species name was made a dedication to Adolf Hitler, who had recently become Chancellor of Germany. The dedication did not go unnoticed by Hitler, who sent Scheibel a letter showing his gratitude.[1] The genus name means eyeless.
The species exhibits no notable characteristics, such as extravagant colors or unusual antennae, but is of interest to beetle collectors (and also collectors of Hitler memorabilia) as a result of its name.[2][3] This is putting the beetle in danger of extinction.[4]
While many have suggested the species be renamed, the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature's principle of priority holds that the first name validly given to a species is its correct name and does not in general allow for a name to be invalidated due to causing offense. On the topic of A. hitleri's name, International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) President Thomas Pape says: "It was not offensive when it was proposed, and it may not be offensive 100 years from now."[5] One potential solution suggested by the vice-president of the ICZN, Patrice Bouchard, was to "change the vernacular name",[5] and in September 2023, the new vernacular name, Slovenian blind cave beetle, was proposed.[6]
References
- George, Rose (April 2002). "A beetle called Hitler". rosegeorge.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2006.
- Scheibel, O. (1937). "Ein neuer Anophthalmus aus Jugoslawien" (PDF). Entomologische Blätter. 33 (6): 438–440.
- Berenbaum, May (2010). "ICE Breakers" (PDF). American Entomologist. 56 (3): 132–133 & 185. doi:10.1093/ae/56.3.132. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-08-20. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
- Elkins, Ruth (20 August 2006). "Fans exterminate 'Hitler' beetle". The Independent. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
- "On the troubles of naming species". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
- Kindy, Dave (24 September 2023). "Scientists want to rename the Hitler beetle - not for the reason you think". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 October 2023.