A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Arachnid observations by Pehr Kalm during his journey to North America (1748-51)
Authors: Koponen, Seppo
Publisher: Arachnologische Mitteilungen
Publication year: 2025
Journal: Arachnologische Mitteilungen: Arachnology Letters
Volume: 69
Issue: 1
First page : 16
Last page: 18
ISSN: 1018-4171
eISSN: 2199-7233
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30963/aramit6905
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.30963/aramit6905
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/505480777
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. |