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The legacy of the fieldwork of E. W. Nelson and E. A. Goldman in Mexico (1892–1906) for research on poorly known mammals

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Abstract

More than a century ago, Edward W. Nelson and Edward A. Goldman spent 14 years (1892−1906) traveling across much of Mexico in one of the most critical biological expeditions ever undertaken by two naturalists. This long-term survey was a cornerstone in Mexican mammalogy development; however, their specific role in discovering taxa that were practically unknown before the expedition is not yet necessarily recognized. In a time when the historical aspect of knowledge on mammals is being ignored for the new generations of mammalogists, a detailed analysis of the legacy of the survey is essential. Here I focus on shrews (Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) to analyze how the fieldwork and the specimens they collected have contributed to the current knowledge of shrews in the country. Nelson and Goldman collected 474 specimens of shrews, representing 31 of the 40 species that have currently been recognized. This collection has been key to building taxonomic, evolutionary, and biogeographic knowledge of shrews in the country. The success of the expedition was primarily due to the epistemic role of novel methods and approaches in natural history research at the time. The collection also offers the opportunity to document the loss of species and ecological interactions as indirect consequences of human activities, especially in montane regions. I argue that the value of this expedition can still increase with the use of modern biodiversity study tools and the digitization and access of ancient material such as photographs, field notes, and correspondence.

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Acknowledgements

I want to thank G. Ortega Leite for providing me with relevant old bibliographic material. V. García for creating a database with all the localities visited by Nelson and Goldman used in Figure 2. I would also like to thank S. Peurach and N. Woodman (USNM) for their support during my stay at the Smithsonian Institution. I am grateful to the Smithsonian Institution Archives for granting me permission to reproduce and use images of the Nelson and Goldman survey. I thank three anonymous reviewers and the editors for their valuable comments and edits on the manuscript. M. E. Sánchez-Salazar edited the English document.

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  1. Departamento de Zoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico

    Lázaro Guevara

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Guevara, L. The legacy of the fieldwork of E. W. Nelson and E. A. Goldman in Mexico (1892–1906) for research on poorly known mammals. HPLS 43, 31 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40656-021-00386-7

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