www.CuriousTaxonomy.net
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Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature
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Mark Isaak
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Adlafia G. Moser, H. Lange-Bertalot &
D. Metzeltin 1998 (diatom) for the Association des Diatomistes
de Langue Française (A.D.La.F.)
Afgekia Craib. (Fabaceae from southeast
Asia) Named for the collector Arthur Francis
George Kerr.
Afipia (bacterium) after AFIP: Armed Force
Institute of Pathology.
Afropolonia tgifi Goff, 1983 (chigger) from "Thank God
it's Friday"
Agra bci Erwin, 2000 (ground beetle) from
"Barro Colorado Island" (Panama), where the beetle was
discovered.
Agra catie Erwin, 2002 (carabid) for Centro
Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza, a forestry school at
Turrialba.
Amargatitanis macni Apesteguía, 2007
(titanosaur) The specific epithet honors the Museo Argentino de
Ciencias Naturales (MACN). [Cretaceous Res. 12: 533]
Aphandra (palm) A partial acronym from the palm
genera Ammandra and Phytelephas, plus -andra (male,
referring to the stamens) because the stamens are intermediate between
those of Ammandra and Phytelephas.
Atalodera ucri (nematode) for University of
California, Riverside.
Atelopus farci Lynch (toad) Named after FARC,
the Colombian guerilla army, which used to be active in the toad's
habitat. If the army had not taken shelter there, the region probably
would have been devastated, and the toads would remain unknown to
science.
Bacillus isronensis Shivaji, et.al., 2009
This highly ultraviolet-resistant bacterium from the upper
stratosphere was discovered by balloon experiments and named for ISRO,
the Indian Space Research Organization.
Bacillus safensis Venkateswaran, 2004
This bacillus has evolved to survive on spacecraft surfaces in JPL's
Spacecraft Assembly Facility (whence its name). It is highly resistant
to gamma and UV radiation and presumably draws energy from ions of trace
metals like aluminum and titanium. It is almost certainly living aboard
the Mars rovers and may survive as spores for millions of
years.
Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (Distaso 1912) Castellani and
Chalmers 1919 (gut bacterium) "a combination of the Greek
letters theta, iota, and omicron, relating to the morphology of
vacuolated forms"; I would like to see more explanation.
Bathynema nodinauti Miljutin 2009
(nematode) honoring the NODINAUT research cruise, from "Manganese
NODule area" and the submarine NAUTile.
Canthicaster criobe Williams et al., 2012
(pufferfish) After the Centre de Recherche Insulaire et Observatoire de
l'Environnement in Moorea. [Zootaxa 3523: 84]
Cedecea (bacterium) after CDC: Centers for Disease
Control.
Chromidotilapia mrac Lamboj, 2002 (cichlid)
after Muséé Royal de l'Afrique Centrale.
Conophytum armianum Hammer, 1988 (African
plant) From the initials ARM of Anthony R. Mitchell.
Copiapoa ahremephianus Taylor & Charles,
2002 (S. American cactus) For the initials RMF of Roger
M. Ferryman.
Csiro Medvedev & Lawrence, 1984 (tenebrionid) after
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in
Australia.
Csiromedusa and family
Csirobedusidae (jellyfish) also after Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in
Australia.
Gesaia csiro Zhang et al. 2020 (abyssal
polychaete)
Desemzia (bacterium) after DSMZ: Deutsche
Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen.
Desyopone Boudinot & Perrichot, 2022
(Miocene ant) DESY is the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchroton, whose
facilities were used to identify the fossil; "-pone" is the
traditional suffix for ponerine ants.
Diastylis andeepae Alberico &
Mühlenhardt-Siegel 2010 (hooded shrimp) and
Storthyngurella andeepae Malyutina & Brandt
2004 (Isopoda: Munnopsididae) Both named after the
ANtarctic DEEP-sea biodiversity expeditions (ANDEEP).
Drinker nisti Bakker et al., 1990 (ornithopod dinosaur)
after the National Institute of Standards and Technology (of the
U.S. Dept. of Commerce). "It's the only dinosaur named after an arm of
the federal government. Someday I'm going to name one after the I.R.S."
- Robert Bakker.
Egatochoerus (oldest named peccary) from
EGAT, Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (and choer,
young pig).
Emausaurus Haubold, 1990 (Jurassic
thyreophoran dinosaur) Named for the
Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität of Greifswald,
Germany.
Eoabelisaurus mefi Pol & Rauhut, 2012
(theropod dinosaur) In recognition of the support of the Museo
Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio (MEF) in Argentina.
Esconites Thompson & Johnson, 1977
(fossil polychaete worm), and
Esconichthys Bardack, 1974
(fossil lungfish) Both are from the Mazon Creek formation in Illinois
and are named after the Earth Science Club of Northern
Illinois (ESCONI).
Eurycea sosorum Chippindale, Price, Hillis,
1993 (Barton Springs salamander) The salamander has a very small
range. "The species is named in honor of the citizens of Austin, Texas,
whose efforts to protect the quality of Barton Springs resulted in the
passage of a citizen's aquifer-protection initiative in 1992. This
initiative is known locally as the SOS (Save Our Springs) Ordinance, and
its supporters as SOSers. The specific name sosorum is the plural
mixed-gender genitive form of the acronym SOS." [Herpetologica
49:248-259]
Eviulisoma cetafi Enghoff, 2018
(millipede) For Consortium of European Taxonomic
Facilities.
Eviulisoma etji Enghoff, 2018
(millipede) For the European Journal of Taxonomy "in
recognition of its immense importance for the dissemination of
taxonomic research in Europe, and beyond." Coincidentally (?), the
species is described in that journal. [E J T 445:34]
Fubarichthys (fossil fish) Usually found
with its head disarticulated, or fubar (F*cked Up Beyond All
Recognition).
Geocenamus (nematode) "Geographical Center
of North America"
Habronestes boq Baehr, 2008 (spider) For
the Bank of Queensland. (See
Named after
Things.)
Haptoclinus dropi Baldwin and Robertson,
2013 (blenny fish) Discovered as part of the Smithsonian's Deep
Reef Observation Project (DROP).
Helacyton Van Valen & Maiorana, 1991 (HeLa cell
culture). HeLa is a cell culture derived from a cervical cancer of
Henrietta Lacks,
hence the name. ("
Hela" was preoccupied by a crustacean.) It is
described as a new species because it is widespread and feral. By some
systematics conventions, it is a unicellular species of human.
[
Evolutionary Theory 10: 71]
Heterodera mani (nematode) for Ministry of
Agriculture, Northern Ireland.
Hypogena cat Steiner, 2005 (tenebrionid
beetle) Honoring tenebrionid specialist Charles A. Triplehorn. Not
coincidentally, the beetle has three horns. [Annales Zoologici
55: 574.]
Impatiens quintadecimacopii G.W. Hu &
Q.F. Wang (impatiens) Name derived from the Fifteenth Meeting
of the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the U.N. Convention on
Biological Diversity, a conference which was upcoming when the
species was described in 2020.
Inpaichthys Géry & Junk, 1977
(tetra) Named for INPA, the Brazilian Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da
Amazonia. Also:
Crenicichla inpa Ploeg, 1991 (cichlid) and
Aguarunichthys inpai Zuanon, Rapp Py-Daniel &
Jegu, 1993 (siluroid fish),
Bryconops inpai Knoppel et al., 1968 (charaoid fish), and
Phytocerum inpa Costa et al., 2003 (beetle)
[Syst. Entomol 28: 375]
Isisaurus Wilson & Upchurch, 2003
(Cretaceous Titanosaur) Named after the Indian Statistical
Institute.
Lasioglossum gattaca Danforth & Wcislo, 1999 (halticid
bee) Referring to the genetic code, whose bases abbreviated A, T, C,
and G, and no doubt influenced by the 1997 sci-fi movie "Gattaca."
[Annals of ESA 92: 624]
Macrocarpaea gattaca J.R. Grant
(gentian)
Maelestes gobiensis Wible et al.
2007. (Late Cretaceous placental mammal) "Mae" is the acronym
for Mongolian Academy of Sciences-American Museum of Natural History
Expeditions.
Melanotaenia angfa (rainbowfish) in honour
of the Australia New Guinea Fishes Association.
Meloidogyne naasi (nematode) for National
Agricultural Advisory Service.
Microcebus gerpi Radespiel et al., 2012
(Gerp's mouse lemur) Named after Groupe d'Étude et de Recherche
sur les Primates de Madagascar (GERP), the research and conservation
team that described it.
Natalichthys ori Winterbottom, 1980 (fish)
for the Oceanographic Research Institute, Durban, South
Africa.
Natalichthys sam Winterbottom, 1980 (fish)
Named for S.A.M., the South African Museum, where the specimen was
found.
Ocepechelon Bardet et al. 2013 (Cretaceous sea turtle)
"Genus name from OCP, acronym for the Groupe Office Chérifien
des Phosphates, the mining company exploiting phosphatic deposits in
Morocco", plus the Greek for "turtle".
Ocepeia Gheerbrant & Sudre, 2001
(Paleocene Afrotherian mammal)
Ophiologimus aiodipius Thuy, 2013 (Cretaceous
brittle star) "Species named derived from IODP, Integrated Ocean
Drilling Program, under which the samples yielding the type material
were recovered." [Euro. J. Tax. 48: 54]
Pachyplichas jagmi Millener 1988 (New Zealand
stout-legged wren, now extinct). After the initials of palaeontologist
John A. Grant-Mackie.
Pangolinisis cia Alderslade, 1998 (gorgonian)
Found attached to an Australian submarine phone cable, although perhaps
not listening in as one might expect from the American C.I.A.
Phaenandrogomphus safei Dow & Luke,
2015 (damselfly) discovered in the Stability of Altered Forest
Ecosystems (SAFE) Project [Zootaxa 3905: 146]
Physalaemus enesefae Heatwole, Solano & Heatwole, 1965
(leptodactylid frog) Named after NSF (National Science
Foundation).
Pygopleurus rufovillescens undofi Keith, 2001
(beetle) named after the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force.
Found on part of the Golan Hights controlled by UN soldiers.
Rusichthys Winterbottom, 1979 (fish) Named
for the collection at the JLB Smith Institute of Ichthyology (now the
South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity); "R.U.S.I." (Rhodes
University Smith Institute) prefixes all specimen catalog
numbers. Mimoblennius rusi Springer & Spreitzer,
1978 (rusi blenny) gets its name from the same source.
Sio (deep-sea fish) for Scripps Institute of
Oceanography.
Squatina mapama Long et al. 2021 (angel
shark) for the Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca,
Alimentación y Medio Ambiente, the Spanish governmental
organization which operated the research vessel.
Stenocrates inpai Ratcliffe, 1978 (scarab
beetle) for I.N.P.A. (Institutional Nacional de Pesquisas da
Amazonia) in Brazil.
Tanganicodus irsacae (cichlid) for IRSAC,
the Central African Science Research Institute.
Taymyroceras niiga Bodylevski, 1958 (Jurassic
cephalopod) after Nauchno Issledovatelski Institut Geologii Arctiki
(Scientific Institute of the Arctic Geology); published in the
transactions of the same institute.
Thomasomys apeco Leo & Gardner, 1993
(Apeco Oldfield mouse) APECO is an acronym for Asociacion Peruana para
la Conservacion de la Naturaleza. [Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 106:
417-428.]
Tianchiasaurus nedegoapeferkima Dong & Holden, 1992
(ankylosaurid dinosaur) After Jurassic Park stars "Sam Neill,
Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Sir Richard
Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, Wayne
Knight, Ariana Richards, & Joseph Mazzello". (The
genus is named after Lake Tian Chi.) The name was proposed by Steven
Speilberg, who donated money for Chinese dinosaur research. The genus
was originally named Jurassosaurus before it was formally
described.
Tomocichla asfraci Allgayer, 2002 (cichlid)
For ASsociation FRAnçaise des CIchlidophiles.
Trichogramma esalqueanum Querino & Zucchi,
2003 (wasp) For Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de
Queiroz".
Trophomera ifremeri (Miljutin, 2004)
(nematode) After Institut français de Recherche pour
l'Exploitation de la Mer, Brest (IFREMER).
Trombicula fujigmo Philip & Fuller, 1950 (chigger) After
WWII slang--"F*ck you, Jack, I got my orders".
Typhochlaena amma Bertani, 2012 (tarantula)
For the Aracnídeos e Miriápodes da Mata Atlântica
project.
Uladendron codesuri Marcano-Berti (tree, Malvaceae)
ULA = Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela; CODESUR =
Comisión para el Desarrollo del Sur (de Venezuela).
Unescoceratops Ryan et al., 2012
(ceratopsid dinosaur) Named to honor the UNESCO World Heritage Site
where it was found. [Cretaceous Research 33:7]
Urbacodon Averianov & Sues, 2007
(theropod dinosaur) The "URBAC-" honors the Uzbek, Russian, British,
American, and Canadian scientists who participated in the discovery.
The description was based only on teeth, hence the "-don",
tooth.
Vagabundia sci Valdecasas, 2008 (water
mite) Named for the Science Citation Index (SCI), and using the
etymology as an opportunity to editorialize: "Despite statements to
the contrary that SCI is not adequate to evaluate taxonomic production
(Krell 2000), it is used routinely to evaluate taxonomists and
prioritize research grant proposals. As with everything in life, SCI
had a beginning and will have an end. Before it becomes history, I
dedicate this species to this sociological tool that has done more
harm than good to taxonomic work and the basic study of
biodiversity. Young biologists avoid the 'taxonomic trap' or becoming
taxonomic specialists (Agnarsson & Kuntner 2007) due to the low
citation rate of strictly discovery-oriented and interpretative
taxonomic publications. Lack of recognition of the value of these
publications, makes it difficult for authors to obtain grants or
stable professional positions." [Zootaxa 1820: 44]
Vegavis iaai Clarke et al. 2005 (Cretaceous
bird) Named for the Argentine Antarctica Institute (IAA).
[Nature 433: 305]
Verma ansp Böhlke, 1968 (now Apterichtus ansp)
(eel) Indicated to be an arbitrary combination of letters, but
actually the acronym for Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia,
where the author worked.
Vnigriceras Saveliev, 1973 (Cretaceous
cephalopod) Named after Vserossijskij Neftjanoy Nauchno-Isdledovatelskij
Geologorazvedochnyi Institut (All-Russian Oil Scientific and Geological
Survey Institute, in Leningrad), abridged to VNIGRI in Russian.
Saveliev also named
Myophorella vnigri 1960 (Jurassic bivalve) and
Sonneratia (Eosonneratia) vnigri, 1973
(Cretaceous cephalopod)
Waddlia (bacterium) after WADDL: Washington
Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.
Whoia Hessler, 1970 (Isopoda: Desmosomatidae)
For the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)
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Mark Isaak.
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