BioConcepts

stenothermalstenotherm (ger.)

• Capable of living in only a small range of temperature. (OED 2011)
  category niche see also eurythermal

  1873

  Die Ostsee enthält überhaupt nur eine Auswahl solcher atlantischen und Eismeerthiere, welche grosse Temperaturdifferenzen zu ertragen im Stande sind. Aus diesem Grunde kann man sie eurytherme Thiere nennen gegenüber solchen Arten, welche nur in warmen oder nur in kalten, wenig schwankenden Temperaturen gedeihen, wie die tropischen und die ausschliesslich arktischen Seethiere, und die deshalb beide als stenotherme Thiere bezeichnet werden können.

  Möbius, K. (1873). Die wirbellosen Thiere der Ostsee. Jahresber. Commiss. wissenschaftl. Unters. deutsch. Meere Kiel 1, 97-144: 139.

  1881

  those animals which can endure the greatest variation in the direction of either extreme [of environmental temperature] evidently exhibit a certain contrast to others which can only thrive under very small departures from the optimum, and their distribution must depend essentially on this characteristic. […] We shall […] do well […] to designate animals, according to Möbius, the former as eurythermal, the latter as stenothermal.

  Anonymus (1881) (transl.). K. Semper, Animal Life as Affected by the Natural Conditions of Existence: 105.

  1888

  Such animals are distinguished as eurytherm, in opposition to stenotherm animals, which can live only in warm or only in cold water.

  Stebbing, T.R.R. (1888). Report on the Amphipoda collected by H.M.S. Challenger during the Years 1873-76 (= Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger 29.1) [Report on Möbius, K. (1873). Die wirbellosen Thiere der Ostsee]: 421.

  1982

  stenothermic Tolerant of a narrow range ofenvironmental temperatures; stenothermal; stenothermous; stenotherm; cf. amphithermal, eurythermal.

  Lincoln, R.J., Boxshall, G.A. & Clark, P.F. (1982). A Dictionary of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics: 235.