Latin names

[ChrisR]

It's funny because on the flip-side a lot of serious entomologists get really frustrated when authors are told that they have to provide common names ... or (even worse, in my mind) others make up new, modern common names - as happened in a few recent books - naming no names.

With larger animals and plants common names have been in circulation for centuries - often being linked to a single species so the common name is pretty much as good as the Latin for knowing what the person is talking about. This works fine for butterflies too because the earliest people to get interested in insects started with the biggest, most colourful things - butterflies and moths.

Where common names fall down (massively) is when you stray off the path and get into flies, beetles, bees & wasps etc. In the main there are no generally accepted common names for most of them and inventing new names actually makes things more confusing. It might sound illogical to say that but we're talking about a *lot* of species and they already have one Latin name that is accepted and known by all those that have been working on them seriously. Now we are told we have to learn common names too because people will start coming up to us and asking if they could have seen a "Broad Centurion" fly

But either way, I try to add some kind of 'explanation' to any Latin names I quote here ... it's not a common name but 'a parasite fly' or 'a hoverfly' at least puts it into some context ... without getting confusing for me

[loripo]

Thanks Venger & Jason & Chris. Arent WABbers nice Sarah
By the way - did you see the recent news about a vegetarian spider - theyve called that Bagheera kiplingi after the character in Jungle Book who was not what he seemed. It struck me that this name doesnt exactly follow the rules

[ChrisR]

Joke Latin names are quite acceptable these days ... if you Google for 'funny scientific names' there are plenty of lists Species like Heerz tooya and Agra phobia are perfectly valid ... that is until someone reclassifies them under a different genus and then the joke is lost

[rangersarah2]

WABbers are brill! Thanks all.

[2dogs2000]

Originally Posted by ChrisR

It's funny because on the flip-side a lot of serious entomologists get really frustrated when authors are told that they have to provide common names ... or (even worse, in my mind) others make up new, modern common names - as happened in a few recent books - naming no names.

With larger animals and plants common names have been in circulation for centuries - often being linked to a single species so the common name is pretty much as good as the Latin for knowing what the person is talking about. This works fine for butterflies too because the earliest people to get interested in insects started with the biggest, most colourful things - butterflies and moths.

Where common names fall down (massively) is when you stray off the path and get into flies, beetles, bees & wasps etc. In the main there are no generally accepted common names for most of them and inventing new names actually makes things more confusing. It might sound illogical to say that but we're talking about a *lot* of species and they already have one Latin name that is accepted and known by all those that have been working on them seriously. Now we are told we have to learn common names too because people will start coming up to us and asking if they could have seen a "Broad Centurion" fly
I appreciate that and I am not asking you to make up names. I also realise that some things have a variety of common names e.g. Arum maculatum. If however there is a common name that you are aware of, it would be helpful to us amateurs. It would save me googling to find out

But either way, I try to add some kind of 'explanation' to any Latin names I quote here ... it's not a common name but 'a parasite fly' or 'a hoverfly' at least puts it into some context ... without getting confusing for me

Thank you. That does help me.

[Tormentil]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

Just to outline a bit about Latin...
Take the Buff-tailed Bumblebee as an example. The Latin for this species is Bombus terrestris; the Genus is Bombus, .......................etc, etc.

Nicely explained Jason.

I started naming my new photo's with Latin & Common Name (where pos.), a few months ago
e.g. Melolontha melolontha_Cockchafer_0001.CR2
Anthomyiidae sp_Muscid Fly_0003.CR2

And have re-named all the previous photo's I'd taken, this way.

I find that this helps, like you say, for those critters that have no common name or several common names and it also educates me.

[Fritillary]

Please dont be scared of latin names. I think even latin names could be better if you really want to know about the species.
If it is written only english names, it could be rather confusing because the plant or animal may have several english names. If you write only the latin name, you could look in internet and find the english name, and you could be sure the species you are talking about.
Latin names are like a personal name, it is only one species that have it, english names it is like the person's aka

[ChrisR]

Also, it is better to call them "scientific names", not Latin names - because the names derive as much from Greek as they do Latin

[Hobjob]

Originally Posted by ChrisR

Also, it is better to call them "scientific names", not Latin names - because the names derive as much from Greek as they do Latin

I agree "Scientific names" are much better.

And often are just latinized versions of English names -

Darwin's frog Rhinoderma darwinii
Darwin's Nothura Nothura darwinii
Bradfield's Hornbill Tockus bradfieldi
Burchell's Coucal Centropus burchelli (though now thought possibly a subspecies)

Bill Gates & Paul McCartney have both had organisms names after them
(though I have no idea what).

[snowdrop]

I've got a lazy brain where the high-faluting names for wildlife. Give me Busy Lizzie, Snapdragon, eagle, kestrel, robin, frog, rat, cat, dog.....any day.