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Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature
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Mark Isaak
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Aenigmatinea glatzella Kristensen &
Edwards, 2020 (moth) Named after its discoverer, R. V. Glatz,
but also alluding to the dearth of head scales, glatze being
German for "bald."
Alderia willowi Krug et al. 2007 (sea slug)
"The species name derives from several sources: (1) because the cerata
droop over the edge of the body on large specimens, resembling a
willow tree; (2) an homage to the first author's grandmother, who
always sang him a song that starts, '... so I ask each weeping willow
...', and (3) a tribute to the character of Willow from the TV show
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, who (as played by Alyson Hannigan) embodied
the idea of sexual flexibility, in recognition of the variable
reproductive modes in Alderia." [J. Molluscan Studies
73:29]
Balaenoptera musculus Linneaus (blue whale)
Musculus could mean "muscular," but it can also be
interpreted as "little mouse." Linne would have known this and, given
his sense of humor, may have intended the ironic double
meaning.
Bangiomorpha Butterfield (red alga) Named
after the modern red alga Bangia, which was named for Niels
Hofman Bang. Coincidentally apropos of a slang meaning of
"bang", Bangiomorpha from 1,200 million years ago was the
first known sexually reproducing organism.
Bowdleria punctata Quoy & Gaimard, 1830
(fernbird) Named after Dr. Richard Bowdler Sharpe. The "punctata" is
said to refer to spots on the bird's breast, but it likely also
references the second part of Bowdler Sharpes's name.
Dearc sgiathanach Jagielska et al. 2022
(Jurassic pterosaur) meaning both "winged reptile" and "reptile from
Skye" (in Scottish Gaelic), the Gaelic name for the island of Skye
being An t-Eilean Sgitheanach. The pterosaur's binomial,
incidentally, is pronounced jark ski-an-ach.
Diodorus scytobrachion Kammerer et al.,
2012 (Triassic dinosauriform) The fossils were found in Morocco.
Diodorus was legendary king of the Berbers and son of the founder of
Tangier; Diodorus Siculus was a first-century Greek historian who
wrote about North Africa. "Scytobrachion" means "leathery arm" and
refers to a presumed character of the beast and to Dionysius
Scytobrachion, a classical mythographer who chronicled the mythical
history of North Africa.
Grouvellinus quest Freitag et al.,
2018 (riffle beetle) "Quest" refers both to the intensive search
for riffle beetles by citizen scientists, and to the Dutch popular
science magazine QUEST. [ZooKeys 754:1]
Harryplax severus Mendoza & Ng, 2017
(crab) The genus is named primarily in honor of field collector
Harry T. Conley, who collected this species among others, but is
also an allusion to Harry Potter for Conley's seemingly magical
collecting talent. (The "-plax" suffix means "flat.") The specific
epithet is Latin for harsh or rough, referring to the laborious
collection process; it also refers to Severus Snape of the Harry
Potter series for his ability to keep important secrets, just
like the crab had eluded discovery for so long.
Hippocampus nalu Short et al. 2020
(seahorse) Named after its discoverer Savannah Nalu Olivier; also,
in Xhosa and Zulu, nalu means "here it is", alluding to the
seahorse's discovery; also, in Hawaiian, the word refers to ocean
waves, whose surge the seahorse was observed moving in.
Hypogena triceratops Steiner, 2005
(tenebrionid beetle) As with the dinosaur, "triceratops" means
"three-horned face." The beetle itself has three horns, plus it is
named in honor of tenebrionid specialist Charles A. Triplehorn.
[Annales Zoologici 55: 572.]
Koolasuchus Warren et al., 1997 (Cretaceous
amphibian) Named for paleontologist Lesley Kool, with a pun on cold
climate in which it lived.
Kora corallina Simone, 2012 (land snail)
"The generic epithet refers to the aperture form, looking like a
crown in spire, a contraction of the Latin word Corona = crown,
corpse, with first letter changed to K to avoid homonymy. [...] The
specific epithet refers to the outline of the shell, resembling a
coral polyp, from the Latin corallium. The name is also a regard to
Cora Coralina, the pseudonym of Ana Lins dos Guimarães Peixoto
Bretas (1889‑1985), a famous Brazilian poet novelist."
[Pap. Avulsos Zool. 52]
Laonastes Jenkins et al., 2005 (Laotian
rock rat) From Greek nastes, "inhabitant", and "laos", of
stone; referring also to the country where it was found.
Litomylus alphamon Van Valen, 1978
(Paleocene mammal) "Sindarin (Elvish) alph, swan,
and amon, hill. Reference is to the locality [Swan Hill],
with allusion also to Alph, the sacred river of Xanadu; Amon,
usually the Chief Egyptian god; alpha, the letter; and Greek monos,
single." Now a synonym of Litocherus lacunatus Gazin
1956.
Lobetelson Schram, 2006 (Carboniferous
crustacean). The name refers to "the lobate form of the uropodal
rami." It is also an anagram of the closely
related Belotelson. [Zoosystema 28:282]
Musa L. (banana) Linnaeus wrote that he
wanted this one word to do the work of three. First, it is named
after the Arabic word for banana, muz or muez,
acknowledging the role of Muslem cultures in popularizing the fruit.
Second, it honors Antonio Musa, doctor to Roman emperor Augustus.
Third, it honors the nine Muses.
Peckena Gnaspini 1996 (leiodid beetle).
Named after Dr. Stewart B. Peck, and pronounced in the same way as
"pequena," Portuguese for "small," referring to its small
size.
Prognathodon saturator Dortangs et al.,
2002 (Upper Cretaceous mosasaur) Saturator means "he who
gives satisfaction," referring both to the sharks which tore the
corpse to shreds and to the amateur collector who discovered the
remains. [Neth. J. Geosci. 81: 1]
Thalia L. (tropical plant, Marantaceae)
Named after Johannes Thal (1542-1583), an herbalist who wrote a flora
of the Harz Mountains, but also honoring Thalia, one of the
Graces.
Tlalocohyla celeste Varela-Soto et
al. 2022 (frog) Named after the color of its vocal sac and
groin area ("celeste" is Spanish for sky blue) and for the
Río Celeste, which feeds the frog's wetlands.
Varanus amnhophilis Conrad et al., 2012
(Miocene Greek monitor lizard) From Greek amnos
and -philis, meaning "lover of lamb", alluding to large monitor
lizard's habit of taking mammalian prey. Also, the American Museum of
Natural History (AMNH) is the specimen's repository. [PLoS
ONE 7(8)]
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