www.CuriousTaxonomy.net
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Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature
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Mark Isaak
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Etymology: Names from Mythology
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Names in this category are numerous. These are just a sample.
Achelousaurus horneri Sampson, 1995
(ceratopsian dinosaur). This hornless ceratopsian evolved from horned
ancestors. It was named for Achelous, a Greek river god whose horn was
broken in a battle with Heracles. The species name (for paleontologist
Jack Horner) replaces the lost horn. [J. Vert. Paleo.
15(4)]
Acherontia atropos Linnaeus,
A. lachesis Fabricius 1798, and
A. styx Westwood, 1847 (deathhead hawk
moth) Acheron and Styx are rivers in the Greek underworld. Atropos
and Lachesis are two of the Fates.
Acteon Montfort, 1810 (gastropod) Named
after the hunter Actaeon of Greek myth. The snails are
predatory.
Ajnabia odysseus Longrich et al. 2020
(Cretaceous hadrosaur) Named after Odysseus, the mythical voyager.
The genus is Arabic for "foreigner." The fossil's Moroccan location
implies hadrosaurs dispersed across ocean barriers.
Psammophis odysseus Georgalis & Szyndlar,
2022 (Miocene snake) The snake's dispersal from northwest
Africa to Iberia suggests it might have rafted over the
Mediterranean.
Alcione Longrich et al., 2018 (Cretaceous
pterosaur) Named for Alcyone, who, in Greek myth, threw herself from
a cliff upon learning of her lover's death and was changed into a
seabird. [PLoS Biol. 16: e2001663]
Anapachydiscus terminus Ward (late Cretaceous
ammonite) "This was the last ammonite ever to have evolved on earth."
Named for Terminus, the Roman god of boundaries.
Aphrodite (sea mouse, a
polychaete)
Tosanoides aphrodite Pinheiro et al., 2018
(fish) "While we were collecting the Aphrodite anthias, a large
Six-gill shark (Hexanchus griseus) came very close to both of
us (HTP and LAR), but that didn't divert our attention from the new
exquisitely beautiful species, and we never even saw the shark
(https://youtu.be/pSZrmoEwR0Q). The beauty of the Aphrodite anthias
enchanted us during its discovery much like Aphrodite's beauty
enchanted ancient Greek gods." [ZooKeys 786: 105]
Aquarius (water strider)
Ardeola bacchus (Bonaparte, 1855) (Chinese
pond heron)
Arethusa (swamp pink) This orchid grows in
aquatic environments in eastern North America. Named for a Greek nymph
whom Artemis transformed into a spring so that she might not suffer the
passions of a river god.
Argonauta argo Linnaeus (paper nautilus) Named for
Jason's ship and its crew.
Asklepia Liebke, 1938 (ground beetle) Named
after Asklepius, Greek god of healing, for unknown reasons.
Astraptes augeas Brower 2010 (skipper
butterfly) Named for the Augean stables, whose cleaning was Hercules'
fifth labor. "The name recognizes the enormous throughput of the ACG
barcoding endeavour and the resultant labour required of
systematists." [Syst. Biodivers. 8: 486]
Athene Boie, 1822 (burrowing owl) The owl was
Athene's sacred bird.
Atropoides Werman, 1992 (jumping pitviper)
Named after Atropos, the Fate which cuts off a person's life. There
are also numerous species with specific epithet atropos,
including the adders
Bitis atropos Linnaeus, 1758 and
Clotho atropos Gray, 1849 (a synonym
for Bitis inornata (Smith, 1838)).
Cassiopeia andromeda (Eschscholz)
(upside-down sea jelly) Andromeda was the daughter of Cassiopeia in
Greek myth.
Cloacina von Linstow 1898 (nematode) found
only in the stomachs of kangaroos; named after Cloacina, the Roman
goddess of the sewers.
Cyclops (copepod) with a single median
eye.
Cyclopes (silky anteater)
Cymodoce,
Dynamene,
Eurydice,
Jaera,
Janira,
Limnoria (isopods) All of these,
described by Leach in 1814, are names of nereids, probably taken from
the preface of Fabulae by Hyginus. The first nereid isopod,
however, was
Ligia Fabricius, 1798.
Daedalosaurus Carroll, 1978 (Late Permian gliding
reptile from Madagascar) and
Icarosaurus Colbert, 1970 (Upper Triassic
gliding reptile from New Jersey), after Daedalus and
Icarus.
Icarops Hand et al., 1998 (Miocene bat from
Australia) "From Icaros, the mythological Greek who flew towards the
sun, in reference to the ancient mystacinid that flew eastwards from
Australia to New Zealand." [J. Paleo., 538-540].
Damocles Lund, 1986 (Carboniferous shark) The males had
an elaborate projection from the back that ended poised over its
head.
Danaus plexippus (monarch butterfly) and
D. chrysippus L. 1758 (African monarch
butterfly) In Greek mythology, Danaus, king of Lybia, had 50
daughters. His twin brother Aegyptus commanded that his 50 sons
marry them. Danaus instructed his daughters to kill their
bridegrooms on their wedding night; all but one complied.
Plexippus and Chrysippus were two of the slain sons.
Erebus cyclops Felder, 1861 (noctuid
moth)
Glaucus Forster, 1777 (nudibranch) Named
after a prophetic sea god, a fisherman who turned immortal upon eating
a magical herb.
Gorgonocephalus medusae (basket star) The
basket star looks like a mass of serpents. Medusa was the most famous
of the Gorgons, which had serpents for hair.
Solanum medusae Gouvea, 2019
(herb)
Hades Westwood, 1851 (riodinid
butterfly)
Hadoprion (Hinde, 1879) (fossil polychaete)
Named after Hades. (The "-prion" means "saw," after the fossil's
toothed nature.)
Hadesarchaea (a class of microbes) specialized
for living underground.
Geophilus hadesi Stoev, et al. 2015 and
Geophilus persephones Foddai & Minelli,
1999 (cave centipedes)
Rapala hades de Nicéville, (1895) (African
lycaenid butterfly)
Triclema hades Bethune-Baker, 1910
(butterfly)
Harpia harpyja (harpy eagle)
Harpymimus Barsbold & Perle, 1984 (theropod
dinosaur)
Hemiandrus taygete, H. sterope, H. merope,
and
H. celaeno Trewick et al. 2020 (wetas)
Each is named after one of the Pleiades. H. taygete has
sternite lobes which resemble the golden horns of the doe into which
his namesake was transformed. Sterope is identified with lightning,
and H. sterope produces the most rapid drumming. Merope is
the faintest of the stars, and H. merope has the faintest of
the sternite structures used in identification. H. celaeno
is the dark one.
Heracles inexpectatus Worthy et al., 2019
(Miocene parrot) "The nestorid Nelepsittacus from the St Bathans
Fauna was named after Neleus. This much larger psittaciform is named
after the Greek Heracles, who in Latin was known as Hercules, and
who killed Neleus and his sons, except for Nestor. . . . The
specific epithet denotes the unexpected nature of this
find."
Hermes Montfort, 1810 (snail)
Hydra Linnaeus, 1758 (cnidarian)
Presumably so named because, like its namesake, it has multiple
appendages and can regenerate.
Hydraena nike Jäch 1995 (beetle) Named
for Nike, Greek goddess of victory, because Samothraki, the location
of the beetle, is also the source of a superb statue of Nike. [Ann.
Naturhist. Mus. Wien 97B: 177-190.]
Idmonarachne Garwood et al. 2016
(Carboniferous spider relative) Named after Arachne, the master
weaver of Greek myth who was transformed into a spider, and Idmon,
her father, indicating the fossil's close relationship to spiders.
(There are several mythical characters named Idmon. The skipper
genus Idmon de Nicéville, 1895 is probably
named after one of the Argonauts.)
Kerberos Solé et al. 2015 (Eocene
hyaenodont) Named after Cerberus (Kerberos in Greek), the three-headed
dog that guarded the gates of Hades. [PLoS ONE
10(9)]
Stackelberginia cerberus McKnight, 2017
(fly) The type specimen was found just outside Death Valley National
Park.
Thermarces cerberus Rosenblatt and Cohen, 1986
(Eelpout fish) from the Galapagos rift vents.
Scapteriscus cerberus Rodríguez &
Heads, 2012 (mole cricket)
Lachesis Daudin, 1803 (bushmaster) This
largest of pit vipers is named after the Fate who apportions each
individual's lifespan.
Laelaps (mite) named for tenacious dog of
Greek mythology.
Mars Jordan & Seale, 1906 (fish)
Merope Newman, 1838 (earwigfly) Merope is
one of the Pleaides sisters.
Mercuriceratops gemini Ryan et al., 2014
(Cretaceous ceratopsid dinosaur) Named after Mercury because
ornamentation on its head resembles the wings on the head of the Roman
god, and Gemini because two almost identical specimens were
found.
Moira atropis and
M. clotho (heart urchins) In Greek myth,
the Moirae are the three Fates, named Atropis, Clotho, and
Lachesis.
Myotis midastactus Moratelli & Wilson,
2014 (bat) The specific epithet is "Midas touch" Latinized,
alluding to the mythical Greek king whose touch turned everything into
gold, referring to the bat's unique golden fur.
Nemertes Cuvier, 1817 (sea worm) Named for
the sea nereid Nemertes, wisest of her sisters.
Ouroborus Stanley et al., 2011 (armadillo
lizard) The ouroboros is an ancient symbol of a serpent or dragon
devouring its own tail. The lizard, when threatened, grabs its tail
in its mouth and curls up.
Pan Oken, 1816 (chimpanzee)
Pandora Druguire, 1797 (clam)
Papio hamadryas (hamadryas baboon)
Hamadryads, in Greek myth, were nymphs whose lives began and ended
with a particular tree. These baboons live in rocky and dry areas and
rarely climb trees.
Pectinivalva (Casanovula) minotaurus Hoare,
2013 (moth) Named for the minotaur because its flattened
antennae resemble horns. [ZooKeys 278]
Pegasus Linnaeus, 1758 (seamoth fish)
Penelope Merrem, 1786 (guan)
Phaeton Linnaeus, 1758 (tropicbird)
Phoenix (date palm) Probably named not after the
mythical bird, but for a king who fought with the Greeks at Troy and
is credited with bringing the first date palms to
Greece.
Vates phoenix Rivera et al. 2020
(mantis) Referring to the mythical creature that is reborn after
being consumed in fire, in homage to the Museu Nacional of Rio de
Janeiro, whose entomological collection of 5 million specimens was
destroyed when the museum burned in 2018. Only a few specimens on
loan, including this species, survived.
Pluto (aphid wasp)
Chalicodoma pluto Smith, 1860 (world's
largest bee, from the rainforests of the Moluccas) The type specimen was
collected by Alfred R. Wallace. Only one other specimen was found
before 1990, when several nests were found in termite nests.
Polyphemus (water flea)
Poseidon Herklots, 1851 (crustacean)
Proteus Laurenti 1768 (blind cave salamander)
Europe's only troglobitic chordate. Named for a Greek sea god, the
son of Poseidon. There is also
Amoeba proteus (amoeba), so named because
Proteus had the ability to change form.
Rhea Brisson, 1760 (rhea)
Sagittarius serpentarius (secretary bird)
Scylla De Haan, 1833 and
Charybdis De Haan, 1833 (crabs) Both
are in the family Portunidae, named after Portunus, Roman god of keys,
doors, and ports.
Sisyphus Latreille, 1807 (dung beetle)
Named after a king condemned in Hades to roll an immense boulder
uphill, only to have it inevitably break free and roll down again,
this beetle makes and rolls large balls of dung with greater
success.
Sterculius (rove beetle, or plant) Sterculius was the
Greek god of the latrine, and rove beetles are often found associated
with dung. Sterculius is also a genus of plant, many species of
which emit a dung-like odor from flowers or leaves. Its family,
Sterculiaceae, also includes chocolate and cola.
Stygia Meigen, 1820 (bombyliid fly, synonym)
Talos Zanno et al., 2011 (birdlike theropod
dinosaur) Named for a winged bronze giant of Greek mythology, which
could run extremely fast and which succumbed to an ankle wound. The
name is also a pun on "talon".
Tethys Linnaeus, 1767 (sea slug) Tethys was both
sister and wife of Oceanus.
Titanus giganteus (L) (cerambycid beetle)
The world's largest (but not heaviest) beetle.
Upupa antaios Olson, 1975 (extinct giant
hoopoe) Named for the Libyan giant Antaios (or Antaeus), who wrestled
travelers and used their skulls to decorate a temple to his father
Poseidon. Drawing strength from the ground, he was invincible until
Heracles held him up.
Urania Fabricius, 1807 (moth) Diurnal
moths ironically named after the muse of astronomy.
Venus dione Linnaeus, 1758 (clam) Named
after Venus, goddess of love, and Dione, mother of her Greek
equivalent Aphrodite, due to the clam's resemblance to human female
genetalia. (Its new genus is Hysteroconcha meaning "womb
shell".)
Zeus olympius Minter & Diam. (1987)
(fungus) discovered on Mt. Olympus. The expedition which discovered
it also found, growing on the remains of a Z. olympius, another
flask-shaped fungus in the genus Nectria (alas, derived from
the Greek for "swimmer", not from nectar, the drink of the gods),
which was named
Nectria ganymede, after the youth taken
to heaven to be Zeus's cupbearer.
Zeus Linnaeus, 1758 (dory fish)
Aegira Willems et al. 2005
(platyhelminth)
Aegirosaurus Bardet & Fernandez, 2000
(Upper Jurassic ichthyosaur) Named for Aegir, god of the oceans and
seashores.
Aegirocassis Van Roy et al., 2015
(Ordovician anomalocarid)
"Asgard archaea" - A superphylum of Archaea with
some genetic similarities to eukaryotes.
Lokiarchaeota was the first phylum proposed;
Thorarchaeota, Odinarchaeota, and
Heimdallarchaeota have been added to the
group.
Asgardaspira Wagner 1999 (snail)
It is very loosely coiled, with a serpent-like look.
[Smithsonian Contrib. to Paleobiology 88:1-154]
Clossiana frigga, C. freija (Thunberg, 1791)
(fritillaries)
Clossiana thore (Hübner, 1803)
(fritillary)
Freya Thery, 1943 (buprestid beetle)
Eoconodon nidhoggi Van Valen, 1978 (paleocene
mammal) Named for the Nordic corpse-eating underworld serpent (and found
in Purgatory Hill).
Midgardia Downey, 1972 (starfish) from the
Midgard Serpent, "which lies at the bottom of the sea and encircles
the earth." Midgardia xandaros has the longest arms (67 cm.)
of any known starfish. [Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 84: 422]
Ragnarok Van Valen, 1978 (paleocene mammal,
synonym of Baioconodon Gazin, 1941) for Norse end times, "Doom of
the Gods."
Stentorceps heimdalli Nielsen & Buffington,
2011 (figitid wasp) "Named in honour of Heimdall, the Norse
god guarding the bridge between Midgard, the world of man, and
Asgard, the realm of the gods. He is known for his horn, the
Gjallarhorn, which he would blow to announce the beginning of
Ragnarök, the end of the world. The large corniculum
of S. heimdalli is reminiscent of this horn."
Thor Kingsley, 1878 (Caribbean shrimp)
Scutisorex thori Stanley et al., 2013
(hero shrew) Hero shrews are unusually strong. [Biol. Lett.
9(5)]
Balaur Csiki et al., 2010 (theropod
dinosaur) A balaur is a dragon-like creature from Romanian
myth.
Bosmina Baird, 1845 (water flea) Named,
according to Baird, after a daughter of Fingal, which is another
name of Fionn mac Cumhaill, hunter-warrior of Irish mythology.
However, Baird drew from the Ossian cycle, supposed to be a
translation of the Gaelic, but actually mostly original work of poet
James Macpherson.
Juratelacrima Fanti & Damgaard,
2018 (Eocene soldier beetle from amber) The goddess (sometimes
called a mermaid or undine) Jurate lived under the Baltic Sea in an
amber castle. When she fell in love with a fisherman named Kastytis,
Perkunas, the thunder god, angrily destroyed the amber castle and
(in some versions) killed Kastytis. Therefore, amber found around the
Baltic is the remains of the castle or the tears (lacrima in
Latin) of Jurate. [Baltic J. Coleop. 18: 12]
Melusinaster Thuy & Stöhr, 2018
(Jurassic basket star) Named for Melusina, a mythical woman who,
according to legend, demanded privacy every Saturday after her marriage.
When her husband, Count Sigefroid, spied on her, he discovered she was
a mermaid, and Melusina fled and was never seen again. The implication
for the fossil is that nothing is what it first seems. [Sci.
Reports 8, 8493]
Sampo Öpik, 1933 (Ordovician brachiopod)
named for the three-sided magic mill that in Finnish mythology
created flour, salt, and gold.
Zalmoxes Nopsca, 1899 (Cretaceous
iguanodontid) Named for the Dacian supreme deity
Zalmoxis.
Euphyia zalmoxis Thierry-Mieg, 1894
(moth)
Papilio zalmoxis Hewitson, 1864
(butterfly)
Zilantophis Jasinski & Moscato (Miocene
or Eocene snake) Named after Zilant, a winged serpent in Tatar
mythology, because of wing-shaped projections on the side of the
fossil's vertebrae.
Angelica archangelica Linnaeus (umbellifer)
Traditionally said to bloom on May 8, the day of St. Michael the
Archangel.
Apocrypha Eschscholtz, 1831 (darkling
beetle)
Araniella mithra Zamani et al. 2020
(orb-web spider) Named for the Indo-Iranian god of light.
Arca noae (clam) after Noah's ark.
Anzu Lamanna et al., 2014 (theropod
dinosaur) Named for a feathered demon in Akkadian and Sumerian
mythology.
Behemotops Domning, Ray & McKenna
1986 (Oligocene marine mammal) from
Behemoth.
Cryptomaster behemoth Starrett &
Derkarabetian, 2016 and
Cryptomaster leviathan Briggs, 1969
(daddy long-legs)
Ophioleviathan Thuy, 2013 (Jurassic
brittle star) [Euro. J. Tax. 48: 193]
Delilah Dillon & Dillon, 1945 (longhorn
beetle)
Lasiopogon esau McKnight, 2017 (robber
fly) The biblical Esau was described as hairy and a cunning hunter,
both apropos also of the fly.
Mirapinna esau Bertelsen and Marshall 1956
(hairy fish) Named after Esau, a hairy character of the Bible. The fish
has curious growths all over its body, making it look like it is covered
in fur.
Livyatan Lambert et al. 2010 (fossil sperm whale).
Originally named Leviathan, but that name was junior homonym;
German paleontologist Albert Koch used it for an American mastadon
skeleton in 1841, which name was itself invalid as Mammut had
priority. Lambert et al. renamed the fossil whale Livyatan,
from the original Hebrew spelling. [Nature 466: 105,
1134]
Goliathus (African scarab) One of the
world's largest beetles.
Golem Whitley, 1957 (frogfish)
Ifrita Rothschild 1898 (blue-capped babbler
of New Guinea) from Arabic ifrit 'djinn or spirit'.
Ipomopsis sancti-spiritus (Polemoniaceae)
Holy ghost Ipomopsis, an endangered plant.
Neopagetopsis ionah Nybelin, 1947
(Jonah's icefish) So named because the type specimen was found
inside a whale.
Ophiolimna tiamatia Thuy, 2013 (Jurassic
brittle star) "Named after Tiamat, primordial goddess of the ocean and
chaos monster in Babylonian mythology, in reference to the fact that this
species is the oldest currently known occurrence of the
Ophiolimna lineage and, on account of its deep-water origin, thus
challenges the widely accepted concepts of the macroevolutionary
significance of deep-water habitats." [Euro. J. Tax. 48:
65]
Purgatorius (Paleocene fossil primate) Named
after Purgatory Hill, Montana?
Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) (spiny shrub or
tree) Christ's crown-of-thorns is traditionally said to have been made
from this plant.
Baalzebub (spider)
Beelzebufo Evans, Jones and Krause, 2008
(Cretaceous frog from Madagascar) nicknamed "the frog from hell" by
the researchers.
Ateles belzebuth (white-fronted spider
monkey)
Murina beelzebub Csorba et al., 2011
(tube-nosed bat)
Diabloceratops Kirkland et al., 2010
(Cretaceous ceratopsian dinosaur) Its horns and neck shield evoke
images of the devil.
Telipogon diabolicus Kolanowska et
al. 2016 (orchid) Its gynostemium (union of stamens and
pistils) resembles a devil's head.
Lucifer Doderlein, 1882 (fish)
Paraxerus lucifer (rodent)
Mephisto Tyler, 1966 (spikefish)
Halicephalobus mephisto Borgonie et al.,
2011 (nematode) The deepest known land animal, discovered 2.2
miles underground.
Bubalus mephistopheles (Hopwood, 1925) (extinct
buffalo)
Pudu mephistopheles (Northern Pudu deer)
Satan Hubbs & Bailey, 1947 (catfish) A blind
unpigmented fish from artesian wells 1000-1250 feet underground, near
San Antonio, TX. "Satan eurystomus signifies 'wide-mouthed
prince of darkness.'" [Occasional Papers Mus. Zool., U. of
Mich. 499: 1-15.]
Satanoperca lilith Kullander & Ferreira
1988 (Amazonian cichlid) There were also
S. daemon and
S. jurupari (the latter named after a Tupi
forest demon), but these have been moved to the genus
Geophagus. [Cybium 12(4): 344;
Ann. Wien. Mus. Naturges. 2: 389,392]
Solidago satanica Lunell, 1911 (goldenrod)
Its type specimen came from Devil's Lake, North Dakota. (It is now
probably synonymized with another species.) [American Midland
Naturalist 2: 58]
Chiropotes satanas (Hoffmannsegg, 1807)
(black bearded saki)
Colobus satanas (black colobus, sometimes
called satanic colobus)
Daimonelix Barbour, 1891 ("Devil's corkscrew", nine-foot
spiral tubes, trace fossil burrows of the Miocene beaver
Paleocastor)
Arachnanthus lilith Stampar & El Didi,
2018 (tube anemone) Lilith was a mythological female night demon
in ancient Mesopotamia; the species is known from the Red Sea and was
found extended only at night. [ZooKeys 748:1]
Astarte (clam)
Moloch Gray, 1841 (thorny devil lizard)
Named after a Canaanite god as depicted by Milton.
Ninurta Stanley et al., 2011 (blue-spotted
girdled lizard) Ninurta was the Sumerian and Akkadian god of, among
other things, rain and the south wind. The lizard's genus refers to
its occurrence along the cool, moist south coast of South
Africa. [Mol. Phylo. Evo. 58: 53]
Simurghia Longrich et al., 2018 (Cretaceous
pterosaur) Named for Simurgh, a flying beast from Persian mythology.
[PLoS Biol. 16: e2001663]
Stygimoloch Galton & Sues, 1983
(pachycephalosaur) from "Styx", for the Hell Creek Formation; "Moloch",
after a Canaanite god.
Zu Walters & Fitch, 1960 (ribbonfish) Zu
was an lesser Akkadian deity.
Abydosaurus (brachiosaur) Described from a
fossilized skull and cervical vertebrae, it is named for the town
Abydos in Egypt, where Osiris's head and neck were buried.
Ammonoidea (ammonite, fossil cephalopod) Named after
the Egyptian god Amun (Ammon), who was represented by a ram, because the
shells resemble ram's horns--in particular, the Horn of Ammon, the
cornucopia from Roman myth.
Anubis Thomson, 1864 (longhorn
beetle)
Papio anubis (olive baboon) The baboon was
sacred in Egypt.
Phiomicetus anubis Gohar et al. 2021 (Eocene
whale)
Tasmaniosoma anubis Mesibov 2015
(millipede) So named because the tip of the male genitalia resembles
popular depictions of the jackal-headed god. [ZooKeys 488:
31]
Euderus set Ward et al. 2019 (parasitic
wasp) This wasp manipulates the behavior of other parasitic gall
wasps, causing them to stick in an exit tunnel as E. set's
larvae eat them from the inside. It is named after Set, Egyptian
god of war and chaos.
Thalassodromeus sethi Kellner & Campos,
2002 (Cretaceous pterosaur) Named after the Egyptian god Seth
because of the shape of its large crest. (But probably the god Amun,
whose crown is a closer match, was intended.)
Kheper aegyptiorum Latreille, 1827 (dung
beetle) Named after Khepera, god of the rising sun; the dung beetle is
his emblem.
Osiris (bee)
Sphinx Linnaeus, 1758 (sphinx moth)
Cynopterus sphinx (short-eared fruit
bat)
Mandrillus sphinx (mandrill)
Thoth Linnavuori, 1993 (plant bug)
Jobaria Sereno et al, 1999 (Cretaceous
sauropod) from the Niger Republic; named for "Jobar", a creature from
Tuareg mythology.
Azhdarcho Nessov, 1984 (Cretaceous Uzbekistan pterosaur)
named for an Uzbek dragon.
Erlikosaurus Perle, 1980 (Mongolian
therizinosaur) Erlik is the Siberian/Mongolian god of the
dead.
Gorynychus Kammerer & Masyutin, 2018
(Permian therocephalian) This wolf-sized proto-mammal is named after
the Russian dragon Zmey Gorynych; also a play on the word "gory" and
the Greek onychus, 'claw'. [PeerJ 6:e4933]
Indricotherium (Oligo-Miocene rhinoceros)
This, the largest terrestrial mammal, was named for Indrik, the Lord of
the Animals in Russian folklore. Ironically, Indricotherium was
hornless, while Lord Indrik was horned.
Monosmilus chureloides Capobianco et
al. 2020 (Eocene fish) The species is named after Churel, an
Urdu shapeshifting vampire-like demon with large fangs.
Nochnitsa Kammerer & Masyutin, 2018
(Permian gorgonopsian therapsid) Named for a nocturnal spirit in
Slavic legend, often portrayed as a female apparition that attacks
sleeping people; intended as a regionally appropriate counterpart to
the usual "gorgon", referring to hags from Greek myth. [PeerJ
6:e4954]
Oksoko Funston et al. 2020 (Cretaceous
oviraptorosaur) Named for a three-headed eagle from Altaic
mythology; the holotype assemblage preserved three
skulls.
Samrukia Naish et al., 2012 (Cretaceous
pterosaur) Named after Samruk, a Kazakh mythical bird.
Sordes Sharov, 1971 (Jurassic Kazakhstan pterosaur)
named for a Russian demon.
Apsaravis Norell & Clark, 2001 (fossil bird)
'Apsara' (Sanskrit), winged consorts prominent in Buddhist and Hindu
art, plus 'avis' (Gk), bird.
Brahmaea (moth)
Bramatherium Falconer, 1845 (Miocene giraffid),
Vishnutherium (fossil giraffid),
Sivatherium Falconer & Cautley, 1832 (Pleistocene
giraffid) Named for the Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, the
Creator, Sustainer, and Destroyer. All these giraffids are from
India.
Citipati Clark, Norell & Barsbold, 2001
(oviraptor dinosaur) Citipati are funeral demons from Buddhist
tradition, often represented by two dancing skeletons, representing the
impermanence of worldly things.
Dibasterium durgae Briggs et al., 2012
(fossil horseshoe crab) Named for the Hindu goddess Durga, who has
many arms. (The genus name refers to double limbs.) [PNAS 109:
15702]
Electrokenenia yaksha (fossil microwhip
scorpion) The Yaksha are South Asian spirits which are caretakers of
the natural treasures of the natural world.
Garudimimus Barsbold, 1981 (theropod
dinosaur) "Garuda mimic"; Garuda is the Hindu prince of
birds and national symbol of Indonesia.
Megalara garuda Kimsey & Ohl, 2012
(wasp) from Sulawesi, Indonesia. [ZooKeys 177: 49]
Indrasaurus O'Connor et al. 2019
(Cretaceous lizard) In Hindu myth, Indra fought a dragon which
swallowed the deity whole. The lizard fossil was found within the
abdomen of a Microraptor dinosaur.
Kali Lloyd, 1909 (deep-sea swallower fish)
Kuru kulla Napoli et al. 2021 (Cretaceous
dromaeosaurid) Named for the Tibetan Buddhist deity
Kurukulla.
Lakhsmia venusta (Thwaites) Veldk., 2008
(grass from Sri Lanka) Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of beauty, charm,
prosperity, and other positive things. The specific epithet derives
from the Roman goddess of beauty, Venus. [Rheedea
18]
Protogryllus lakshmi Pérez-de la Fuente et
al., 2012 (Jurassic cricket) Here, Lakshmi's influence over
wealth and prosperity is the inspiration.
Lapidaster varuna Thuy, 2013 (Jurassic
brittle star) Named after Varuna, Hindu god of the oceans.
[Euro. J. Tax. 48: 37]
Oryctoperus varuna Hiremath & Prathapan,
2021 (Jerusalem cricket) Named after Varuna, god of rains,
because it was found in India, coming into the open following
rains.
Ramapithecus (Miocene ape) from Pakistan; named
after Rama.
Shri devi Turner et al. 2021 (Cretaceous
dromaeosaurid) "Shri Devi" is a Sanskrit name for Palden Lhamo, a
protector goddess in Tibetan/Mongolian Buddhism. The fossil is
from Mongolia.
Sivapithecus (Miocene ape) from India; named
after Siva.
Stegodon ganesa (Pliocene elephant) Named
for Ganesa, the elephant-headed Hindu god of wisdom and art. It was the
subject of the world's first postage stamp featuring a reconstructed
prehistoric animal (in India, Jan. 1951).
Wathondara Wang et al., 2015 (Cretaceous
scale insect) named for an earth goddess of Buddhist
mythology. [eLife 4: e05447]
Yamaceratops Makovicky & Norell, 2006
(Mongolian ceratopsian dinosaur) named for Yama, a Tibetan Buddhist
deity.
Aorun Choiniere et al. 2013 (theropod
dinosaur) Named for Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea, from the
Mandarin epic Journey to the West.
Globba aranyaniae Sangvir. &
M.F. Newman (ginger) Its type locality is Pha Nang Khoy,
"Cave of the Lady who Waits". Aranyani is the princess in the myth
relating to that place.
Hynobius oni Kanamori et al. 2022
(salamander) An Oni is a traditional Japanese demon. The type
locality is in the Oni-ga-jo Mountains, where it was believed Oni
lived.
Izanami Galil & Clark, 1994 (Matutine
crab) named for Izanami, the primordial goddess in Japanese Shinto
mythology.
Mahakala Turner et al., 2007 Named for one
of eight protector deities of Tibetan Buddhism.
Pachyrhynchus panumanon Cabras & Medina,
2022 (weevil) Panumanon is the Higaunan (in Mindanao,
Philippines) god who guards animals, including insects.
Rhabdophis chiwen Chen et al. 2020
(snake) Chiwen, ninth son Loong in Chinese myth, enjoyed eating
fire. The snake eats fireflies.
Tara Peckham & Peckham, 1886 (jumping
spider) named for the Buddhist saviour-goddess,
the feminine counterpart of the bodhisattva.
Wathondara Bo Wang et al., 2015 (Mesozoic
scale insect) Named after a Buddhist goddess of earth in southeast
Asia.
Xingtianosaurus ganqi Qiu et al. 2019
(Cretaceous Oviraptorosaurid) The genus is named after XingTian, a
Chinese deity who continued to fight even after his head was cut
off, referring to the holotype's fossil missing its skull. Ganqi
was his weapon. (Both names are recorded in the Chinese classic
Shanhaijing.)
Yuanchuavis Wang et al. 2021 (Cretaceous
bird) Named after Yuanchu, a mythical Chinese bird.
Arkarua Gehling, 1987 (Ediacaran
echinoderm) Named after Arkaru, a giant snake from the mythology of
the Adnajamathana people of the central Flinders Ranges.
Kakuru Molnar & Pledge, 1980 (theropod
dinosaur) "Rainbow serpent" from South Australia. It is the only known
dinosaur preserved as opal.
Kiwa 2006 ("yeti crab") Named for the
Polynesian goddess of crustaceans.
Mauisaurus Hector 1874 (plesiosaur from New
Zealand) after Maui, a demi-god of Maori mythology.
Obdurodon tharalkooschild Pian et al., 2013
(Miocene platypus) The specific epithet comes from a myth from South
Australia (from the Dieyerie people?) in which a duck named Tharalkoo
is ravished by a water rat and gives birth to the platypus.
Pseudionella akuaku Boyko & Williams, 2001
(isopod (Crustacea: Isopoda: Bopyroidea) parasitic on hermit crabs)
Named after a Polynesian spirit known to pinch children.
Quinkana Molnar, 1981 (extinct crocodylian)
Named after the Quinkans, a legendary folk often depicted in
Australian rock art.
Tangaroa Lehtinen, 1967 (Tahitian uloborid
spider) named for the Tahitian god of the sea.
Taniwhasaurus Hector 1874 (mosasaur from New
Zealand) A taniwha is a dragon-like giant lizard of Maori
myth.
Tinirau Swartz, 2012 (Devonian fish) Named
for Tinirau, a Polynesian god, gaurdian of fish.
Wonambi Smith, 1976 (extinct snake) This
giant snake takes its name from a South Australian aboriginal name for
the Rainbow Serpent.
Woolungasaurus Persson 1964 (plesiosaur from
Australia) after the Woolunga, a reptile-like beast from Aborigine
mythology.
Xevioso Lehtinen, 1967 (Amaurobiid spider)
named for a West African god of storm.
Yhi Barnard & Thomas, 1991 (amphipod) Named
for an Australian (specifically, Karraur) goddess of light and
creation.
Yurlunggur Scanlon, 1992 (Middle Miocene
madtsoiid python) named for the Australian rainbow serpent
Yurlunggur.
Agave muxii Zamudio &
G. Aguilar-Gutiérrez (agave) Refers to Muxi, god of
rain in the Teenek (Huastec) culture.
Alabagrus coatlicue,
A. ixtilton, A. mixcoatl, and
A. xolotl (Braconid wasps)
named for Aztec deities.
Aztlanolagus Russell & Harris, 1986.
(Aztlán rabbit, a Pliocene/Pleistocene lagomorph).
Aztlán is the legendary place of origin of the Nahua peoples as
recorded in the mythology of the Aztecs and other Nahua groups. Some
traditions place it in the border regions of the Southwestern United
States and adjacent northern Mexico.
Xibalbanus tulumensis (Yager, 1987)
(remipede) Literally, "From Xibalba at Tulum"; Xibalba is the Mayan
underworld; Tulum is a place on the Yucatan Peninsula, where this
species was found in caves.
Eurhopalothrix hunhau, E. mabuya,
E. xibalba and
E. zipacna Longino, 2013 (ants)
All names relate to the Mayan underworld. Xibalba is name of the
Mayan underworld. Hunhau is a Mayan death god and a lord of the
underworld. Zipacna is a crocodile-like demon, and Mabuya another
demon. [Zootaxa 3693: 101]
Mammillaria huitzilopochtli Hunt, 1979
(Mexican cactus) Named for Huitzilopochtli, an Aztec war god.
Tlaloc Alvarez & Carranza, 1951 (Central
American killifish) named for the Aztec rain and fertility
deity.
Quetzalcoatlus northropi Lawson, 1975
(Texas pterosaur) Named after an Aztec god and an aircraft designer.
The pterosaur was as large as an ultra-light plane.
Chrysina quetzalcoatli (Honduran jewel
scarab)
Aleiodes mannegishii Fortier, 2009
(braconid wasp) "refers to tricksters called the Mannegishi, with
large eyes, mythical 'little people' described by the Cree
People."
Aleiodes selu Fortier, 2009 (braconid wasp)
"refers to the Cherokee Corn Woman, Selu, and refers to the bright
yellow-orange coloration of the female." [Zootaxa
2256]
Ancistrus yutajae de Souza et al., 2019
(fish) Named for two ill-fated lovers from Amazonian legend. The fish
was discovered on Valentine's Day.
Anhanguera Campos & Kellner, 1985 (Brazilian
pterosaur) named for a Tupian spirit.
Atopophlebia pitculya Flowers, 2012
(mayfly) Named for a mythical being which the Cayapas of Ecuador say
lives in streams and decorates its body with yellow dye. The mayfly
is yellow. [Zootaxa 3478: 15]
Brontotherium Marsh (Oligocene ungulate)
Named for the Sioux mythical "Thunder beast" (albeit in Greek, not
Siouxan) associated with the big fossils exposed by thunderstorms in the
Dakota badlands.
Gaulicho Apesteguía et al., 2016
(Cretaceous theropod) Apesteguía's team discovered the skeleton
in Patagonia in 2007 but could not collect it then due to a broken
down truck. They jacketed the remains, but another museum retrieved
them without the discoverers' knowledge or consent. Eventually, the
skeleton was returned, formally described, and named after the gualicho,
an evil spirit in Mapuche mythology, because of the ordeal of collecting
the specimen.
Hemimastix kukwesjijk Eglit & Simpson,
2018 (Hemimastigophora) Named after Kukwes, a hairy, rapacious
ogre from traditions of the Mi'kmaq of Nova Scotia, in the region
where the specimen was collected. The "-jijk" means
"little."
Hoplias curupira Oyakawa & Mattox, 2009
(wolf fish) Named after the Curupira, a mischievous creature of
Brazilian folklore that protects the forest; it appears as a small
child with its feet turned backwards, making it difficult to follow
its tracks. The fish was so named because it took almost 18 years to
gather enough material for the description. [Neotrop. Ichthyol.
7: 128]
Kelenken guillermoi Bertelli et al., 2007
(phorusrhacid) An extinct giant flightless carnivorous bird named
after a 'fearsome spirit of the Tehuelche tribe ... represented as [a]
giant bird of prey' [J. Vert. Paleontol. 27: 409]
Kokopellia Cifelli, 1993 (Cretaceous
mammal) Named for Kokopelli, flute-playing god of the
Anasazi. [PNAS 90: 9413]
Macrosqualodelphis ukupachai Bianucci et al.,
2018 (Miocene dolphin relative) From "Uku Pacha" (literally
"within Earth"), the Inca underworld, in reference to the specimen
being found buried in sediment.
Maip (Cretaceous theropod) Maip is an
entity from Aonikenk (Tehuelche, in Patagonia) myth which represents
the shadow of death.
Mapinguari Wiedemann, 1828
(gigantic mydid flies) Named for an ogre of Amazonian Indian folklore.
Only three specimens are known.
Sacisaurus Ferigolo & Langer, 2006
(ornithischian dinosaur) named for Saci, a one-legged elf from
Brazilian folklore, because the fossil was missing a leg.
Seitaad (sauropodomorph dinosaur) named
for a mythological Navajo beast that swallowed its prey in sand dunes,
alluding to the own creature's death.
Sericomyrmex saramama Ješovnik &
Schultz, 2017 (ant) Saramama is the Incan goddess of grain.
The ant is found in Peru and practices agriculture.
Siats Zanno & Makovicky, 2013 (theropod
dinosaur) This giant Cretaceous predator discovered in Utah is named
after the siats (pronounced "see-atch"), a voracious monster of Ute
legend.
Tapejara Kellner, 1990 (Brazilian pterosaur)
"The old being" from Tupi mythology.
Tupilakosaurus Nielsen, 1954 (fossil
amphibian) named after an Inuit water spirit.
Tupuxuara Kellner & Campos, 1989 (pterosaur
from Brazil) named for a Tupian "familiar spirit".
Yawunik kootenayi Aria et al., 2015
(Cambrian predatory arthropod) Named after Yawuˀnik, a sea
monster from the Ktunaxa (Kootenay) creation myth, which caused such
disturbance that the other animals hunted and destroyed
him.
Zupaysaurus Arcucci & Coria, 2003
(Triassic theropod) Supay (aka Zupay) was the Incan god of death and
ruler of the underworld.
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Mark Isaak.
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