Aegrotocatellus Adrian and Edgecombe, 1995 (trilobite) Latin for "sick puppy".

Ascolepis erythrocephala Hooper, 1983 (African sedge) Named both for the discoverer Edgar Milne-Redhead, and for the plant's red flower head.

Attalea vitrivir Zona (palm) honors palm specialist Sydney Glassman (1919-2008). Attalea glassmanii was already in use, so vitri = glass and vir = man.

Boselaphus tragocamelus (Pallas) (nilgai, an Indian antelope) This translates to "ox-deer goat-camel"

Brachyanax thelestrephones Evenhuis, 1981 (fly) The name translates from Greek to "little chief nipple twister".

Buffalopterus (1962) (eurypterid) Literally, "buffalo wing"; it was named two years before the invention of the fried chicken buffalo wings.

Catocala (red underwing moths) Many species in this genus are named after brides, fiancees, prostitutes, and related terms: Catocala nupta (Linnaeus, 1767) - nupta = "bride"; C. promissa (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) - promissus = "promised; pledged in marriage"; C. elocata (Esper, 1788) - elocata = "one hired out; a prostitute"; C. nymphagoga (Esper, 1788) - nymphagoga = "one who leads the bride from her home to the bridegroom's house"; C. electa (Vieweg, 1790) - electa = "fiancee"; C. pronuba - pronuba = "matron attending a bride"; C. pronubella ; C. pronubana ; C. comes - comes = "companion"; C. villica - villica = "wife of a steward"; C. ancilla - ancilla = "servant".

Chaetopterus pugaporcinus Osborn, 2007 (Deep sea marine worm) translates as "Chaetopterid worm that looks like the rump of a pig."

Csiromedusa medeopolis (jellyfish) Its epithet is Greek for "city of gonads."

Dziwneono etcetera Dworakowska, 1972 (leafhopper) "Dziwneono" is Polish for "it is strange."

Eucritta melanolimnetes Clack, 1998 (fossil amphibian) Loosely translates as "Creature from the black lagoon" [Nature 394: 66-69].

Fratercula (puffin). The name probably refers to the puffin's plumage, which looks something like a monastic robe; fraterculus means "small brother". However, fratercula is a feminine form, so the name literally means "small (female) brother". Don't ask me why.

Haimacystis Sumrall, Sprinkle, and Guensburg, 2001 (fossil crinoid) Etymology: "Haimacystis is a compound of the Greek haima, flowing blood, and cystis, sac, referring to the blood dripping from superficial leg wounds suffered by one of the co-authors when the biggest slab of specimens described herein toppled over and almost crushed him." [J. of Paleo. 75: 985-992.]

Halticosaurus von Huene 1908 (Late Triassic theropod) translates to "leaping lizard!"

Homo diluvii testis Scheuchzer, 1726 translates "Man, a witness to the Flood" because it was thought at the time to be the remains of a man drowned in Noah's Flood. Later it was found to be a fossil salamander and renamed Andrias scheuchzeri. Andrias means "man-image", a relic of the original misinterpretation.

Iris innominata L. Henderson (iris) Translated, this iris's name is "unnamed iris."

Lycoperdon (puffball) Literally, "wolf-fart". (In Spanish, the common name is "pedos de lobo", literally "wolf farts".)

Mabuya perrotetti (Dumeril and Bibron) (skink) "Perrotetti" means "small-breasted dog." There is also Radula perrotetti (liverwort) and Pomadasys peroteti (Cuvier, 1830) (a fish, the parrot grunt).

Megapnosaurus Ivie, Slipinski & Wegrzynowiwicz, 2001 (theropod dinosaur) Translates as "big dead lizard." (The original name for this genus, Syntarsus, was previously taken by a small living beetle. There is some controversy because this genus was renamed by entomologist Mike Ivie after he was unable to reach Raath, who described the dinosaur originally.)

Moorochloa Veldk. 2004 (grass) Dedicated to the Committee of Botanical Nomenclature on Spermatophytes, which refused to conserve the traditionally well-known name Brachiaria Trin., once with about 120 spp worldwide, suggesting instead that a new genus should be described. The name translates as "fool grass." [Reinwardtia 12: 138]

Piseinotecus divae Er. Marcus, 1955 (gastropod) "Piseinotecus" means "I stepped on Teco." Teco was a dog belonging to a diva (or to Prof. Diva Corrêa). One of the Marcuses (Evelyne or Ernst) stepped on the dog on the way to the kitchen in the middle of the night.

Pulchrapollia Dyke & Cooper, 2000 (Lower Eocene parrot) Translates to "Pretty Polly".

Suuwassea Harris & Dodson, 2004 (sauropod dinosaur) From Crow meaning "first thunder heard in spring," from suu, "thunder" and wassea, "ancient".

Vampyroteuthis infernalis Chun, 1903 (squid relative) "Vampire squid from Hell".