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Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature
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Mark Isaak
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Abracadabrella birdsville Zabka, 1991 (jumping
spider)
Aha ha Menke, 1977 (sphecid wasp) Menke's
exclamation upon receiving the specimen was "Aha!"
Alaptus ah and
A. oh Girault, 1930 (mymarid wasp)
Aloha Kirkaldy, 1904 (fulgorid bug) Etymology: "'Aloha',
the Hawaiian salutation (lit. 'love')."
Arfia Van Valen, 1965 (a dog-like fossil
hyaenodont)
Bazinga Gershwin & Davie 2013 (jellyfish)
The name, as a slang term for "fooled you" or "stung you" is appropriate
because the type species has probably been overlooked in the past due to
being mistaken for a juvenile of a larger species. There is a
seven-stringed harp called a bazinga whose strings are suggested
by radial canals on the new species. The new species also creates a
new family Bazingidae. [Mem. Queensland Mus. -- Nature 56:
626.]
Euglossa bazinga Nemésio & Ferrari,
2012 (bee) honoring the character Sheldon Cooper from "The Big
Bang Theory". "Sheldon Cooper's favorite comic word 'bazinga', used by
him when tricking somebody, was here chosen to represent the
character. Euglossa bazinga sp. n. has tricked us for some time
due to its similarity to E. ignita, what led us to use
'bazinga'."
Brachylophus bulabula (Fijian iguana) from
"bula," the Fijian word for "hello", reduplicated to signify extra
enthusiasm.
Damnxanthodium calvum (Greenm.) Strother
(composite) The genus name refers to the problem of distinguishing these
daisy look-alikes.
Hakuna matata Gumovsky & Bouček,
2006 (eulophid wasp) Named for the Swahili phrase meaning "no
worries", popularlized by "The Lion King." So named because the wasp
is from tropical Africa, and the phrase captures an African
spirit. [Zool. Med. Leiden 80: 79]
Hatena Okamoto and Inouye, 2006 (flagellate
eukaryote) This unusual single-celled organism with a "half-plant,
half-predator" life cycle gets its name from a Japanese interjection
roughly meaning "unusual" or "enigmatic".
Iandumoema uai Pinto-da-Rocha, 1996
(harvestman) "From Portuguese uai = interjection much used by
the people that live in Minas Gerais State that means surprise,
horror or fear." [Revta bras. Zool. 13: 844]
Mammamia Akkari et al. 2011 (millipede)
"The name derives from the Italian exclamation 'Mamma mia' which
came to our mind when we first saw this astonishing species."
[ZooKeys 114: 1]
Martialis heureka Rabeling, Brown and Verhaagh, 2008
(ant) Two of these ants were discovered and subsequently lost. The
rediscovery five years later prompted the epithet heureka,
Greek for "I found it!") [PNAS 0806187105]
Pitohui Lesson and Garnot, 1827 (poisonous
New Guinea bird) The name comes from a response to tasting
it.
Quisarctus Fujimoto 2015 (tartigrade) "a
combination of Quis, a latin word for 'Who?' or 'What?'
referring to the author's first impression of this animal,"
and arctus, "bear", referring to "water bear", a common name of
tartigrades. [Zootaxa 3948: 146]
Sayonara Jordan & Steele, 1906 (fish)
Scelio balo Yoder, 2014 (parasitic wasp)
"derived from the Latin word for roar, howl, grumble, or snort (things
taxonomists do during a revision)." [Zookeys 380]
Simulium damnosum (black fly) Refers to the damnable
vector of the onchocerciasis (river blindness) parasite.
Tamoya ohboya (Bonaire banded box
jellyfish) "I bet 'Oh Boy' is the first thing said when a biologist or
layman encounters the jellyfish," explained Lisa Peck, marine biology
teacher, as part of her winning entry in a public naming contest for
the species.
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