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www.CuriousTaxonomy.net
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Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature
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Mark Isaak
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Puns: Scientific and Common Names the Same
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Many plants use the same word for their scientific and common name.
Examples among animals are less common.
Addax,
Agama agama,
Alligator,
Amoeba,
Anhinga anhinga anhinga,
Bison bison bison,
Boa constrictor,
Caiman,
Caracal caracal caracal,
Chinchilla,
Colobus,
Conger conger,
Dugong,
Gorilla gorilla,
Hippopotamus,
Hydra,
Hyaena hyaena,
Iguana iguana,
Jabiru,
Junco,
Lemur,
Loris,
Lynx lynx,
Manta,
Mantis,
Nautilus,
Octopus,
Oryx,
Paramecium,
Puma,
Python,
Quelea quelea (an African bird, perhaps the
most common bird in the world),
Remora remora,
Rhea,
Rhinoceros,
Saiga,
Sphinx (the moth, not the mythical half-lion),
Thrips,
Vireo
Arctictis binturong (an Asiatic civet)
Bundibugyo ebolavirus Towner et al. 2008
[PLOS Pathog 4(11): e1000212]
Gekko gecko
Connochaetes gnu
Canis dingo Meyer, 1793
Capra ibex Linnaeus, 1758
Equus onager Boddaert, 1785
Orcinus orca
Agouti paca (paca) The agouti is in the genus
Dasyprocta
Perodicticus potto Müller, 1766
Equus quagga quagga Gmelin, 1788
Leptailurus serval
Catharacta skua
Equus zebra
Other common names
which are no longer the accepted scientific names are:
Anoa (syn. of Bubalus)
Manta raya (syn. of Manta birostris;
"manta raya" is the common name of manta rays in Spanish)
Mastodon (syn. of Mammut)
One plant name stands out for the binomal being the common name.
Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f.
One example has been proposed among virus genera. (It has not yet
been approved by the International Committee on Taxonomy of
Viruses.)
Megavirus
Anchoa (a genus of anchovy)
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Mark Isaak.
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