Gender Representation in Molluscan Eponyms: Disparities and Legacy

Abstract

Scientific names that refer to people are called eponyms and are chosen by species authors as honorific, meaningful, or symbolic. Herein, female and male personal eponyms were analyzed from a dataset of 4,915 molluscan species within eight regions worldwide. Eponyms were 12.5% of all species names, within which 10.6% (n = 65) were female and 89.4% (n = 550) were male. Among gastropods, female eponyms accounted for 3.4–18.9% of eponymous species names; male eponyms were 81.1–96.6%. Among bivalves, species names within five of eight regions included no female eponyms. Cephalopod and chiton species included 22 male eponyms and no female eponyms. Scientists and naturalists were honored as the source of 29.2% of female eponyms and 64.6% of male eponyms. First names were the source of 63.1% of female eponyms and 4.6% of male eponyms. Last names were the source of 93.8% of male eponyms and 35.4% of female eponyms. The most eponyms for a woman (n = 4) honor 20th century American malacologist, A. Myra Keen; the most eponyms for a man (n = 6) honor two 19th century English naturalists, Thomas Nuttall and Robert Swinhoe. Gender asymmetry in molluscan eponyms likely reflects barriers to women's participation in malacology, taxonomy, and systematics until the late 20th century. Recognition of this inequity should inform discussions about female representation in scientific names and provide context for understanding the history of eponyms and the people they honor.