A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Arachnid observations by Pehr Kalm during his journey to North America (1748-51)




AuthorsKoponen, Seppo

PublisherArachnologische Mitteilungen

Publication year2025

Journal: Arachnologische Mitteilungen: Arachnology Letters

Volume69

Issue1

First page 16

Last page18

ISSN1018-4171

eISSN2199-7233

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.30963/aramit6905

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.30963/aramit6905

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/505480777


Abstract

Pehr Kalm (1716-79) was a professor at the Royal Academy of Turku (Åbo) in Finland, belonging at that time to Sweden. Carl Linnaeus organized a research journey to North America where Kalm's base was near Philadelphia. He made two long, demanding and dangerous journeys to Canada and to the Niagara Falls. Kalm's main focus was on plants and their economic use, but he observed and collected all kinds of nature items, including arachnids. Kalm described and named five spider species in his travelogue. His species are, however, not valid due to their pre-Linnean descriptive names. Kalm also mentioned false scorpions, harvestman and several mite species. He described and named a tick in 1754, which Linnaeus named, based on Kalm's data, in 1758 as Acarus americanus (now in Amblyomma), the well-known Lone star tick.


Downloadable publication

This is an electronic reprint of the original article.
This reprint may differ from the original in pagination and typographic detail. Please cite the original version.





Last updated on 2025-25-11 at 11:29