In many ways, our region is a naturalist’s paradise. Vast
tracts of wildlands combined with impressive topographical relief and
California’s rare Mediterranean climate create a landscape that boasts
incredible biological diversity, including numerous species that occur nowhere
else in the world. This combination has lured nature enthusiasts to our rugged
mountains for centuries and the San Emigdio/Tehachapi has been home to some of
the most prolific and influential western naturalists. In particular, one name
stands out as a sort of “Godfather” of natural history in this area.
Although John Xantus was not the longest-tenured, or even most
well-liked person to observe the flora and fauna of the San Emigdio and
Tehachapi Ranges (stories abound of Xantus’ haughty demeanor and tendency to
exaggerate), the contribution he made to science during his time here is matched
by few. Born Xantus Janos in Hungary, he immigrated to the United States in
1851, fleeing the Austro-Hungarian war. Finding few prospects for employment,
Xantus enlisted in the US Army in 1855. While in the Service, he worked under
the tutelage of Army surgeon John Hammond and became an adept amateur
naturalist, learning to collect and preserve specimens to send to museums.
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| Xantus' hummingbird, named after John Xantus. By marlin harms (Flickr: Xantus's Hummingbird, Hylocharis xantusii) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
In 1856, Xantus was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and by
1857, he had moved to Fort Tejon, in Grapevine Canyon. In this role, he was
asked to be a collector for the National Museum of Natural History and soon
become “one of Spencer Fullerton Baird’s most prolific collectors.” (Zwinger 1986, vii).
Roaming the rugged and wild country of this region, Xantus made collections of
anything he could find to send back to Washington D.C. During these collecting
trips, he became the first westerner to describe species such as Hammond’s
flycatcher (named after Xantus’ mentor, John Hammond), and Cassin’s vireo. He
mentions seeing California condors regularly, but failed to make a collection
of this bird or its eggs.
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| Xantus' sketch of a wrentit in Zwinger 1986. |
Between 1857 and 1859, Xantus sent “1,794 bird skins, 145
mammals, 229 containers of fishes and reptiles, 211 nests and 740 eggs, 107
bottles of insects. . . 140 skulls, 14 bales of pressed plants, and 17 packages
of minerals” (Zwinger 1986, xxii-xxiii) to Baird in Washington D.C.
Although these methods of
collecting rare species are no longer seen as ethical in a time declining
populations, such activities formed an important foundation for our
scientific understanding of the world’s flora and fauna. He documented his
experiences in a series of letters to Baird, which can be read in the 1986
volume, John Xantus: The Fort Tejon
Letters, edited by Ann Zwinger. Upon leaving Ft. Tejon, Xantus
attended an expedition to Baja, where he continued to make discoveries and send
them to Baird. By 1872, he had moved back to Hungary and continued his
collecting career as the Director of the Budapest Zoo and Botanic Garden
(macroevolution.net). He died in 1894.
Although the name John Xantus is not often mentioned
alongside such greats as John James Audubon, he made an indelible mark on our
understanding of natural history. In his honor, subsequent scientists have
named a number of species xanti,
xantusii, or xantiana. He even
has a whole family of lizards named after him! According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Xantus),
these are the species that have been named after him:
Animals:
- Synthliboramphus hypoleucus - Xantus's Murrelet- {Note: This species was split in 2012 into Scripp's murrelet (S. scrippsi) and Guadalupe murrelet (S. hypoleucus)}
- Hylocharis xantusii - Xantus's Hummingbird
- Labrisomus xanti - Largemouth Blenny or Rock Blenny
- Halichoeres xanti - Earmuff wrasse, current sci. name Halichoeres bicolor
- Umbrina xanti - Polla Drum, Golden Drum, or Golden Croaker
- Phyllodactylus xanti - Xantus Leaf-toed Gecko or Leaf-toed Gecko[2]
- Portunus xantusii - Xantus swimming crab
- Xantusiidae, the night-lizards family, plus the subfamily Xantusiinae and genus Xantusia[3]
Plants:
- Clarkia xantiana - Xantus Clarkia or Gunsight Fairyfan
- Euphorbia xanti - Shrubby euphorbia
- Chaenactis xantiana - Xantus Pincushion or Mojave pincushion
- Chorizanthe xanti - Xantus Spineflower
- Polygala xanti - Xantus's Milkwort
- Mimosa xanti
The
Conservancy is pleased to report that it will be adding to this list of things
named after the great naturalist by naming our forthcoming 4X4 tour van the SS
Xantus.
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| A preview of the SS Xantus. Photo from Quigley 4X4.com http://www.quigley4x4.com/Gallery/NissanProducts/NissanProductPhotos.aspx |
References:
Eugene M. McCarthy. "John Xantus." Accessed 2/27/2015. http://www.macroevolution.net/john-xantus.html#.VPDS3i48ElA
Wikipedia. "John Xantus." Accessed 2/27/2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Xantus
