www.CuriousTaxonomy.net
|
Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature
|
Mark Isaak
|
|

Some names are notable for their lack of creativity:
Campsicnemus aa, C. ee, C. ii, C. oo, C. uu
Evenhuis, 2009 (flies) Evenhuis, however, gives Marquesan
meanings of all of these "Marquesan vowel flies": 'a'a,
"defender"; 'e'e, "disappeared"; 'i'i,
"force"; 'o'o, "rubbed"; 'u'u, "tremble".
[Zootaxa 2004: 25]
Cedusa bedusa, C. cedusa, C. gedusa, C. hedusa,
C. kedusa, C. ledusa, C. medusa, C. pedusa, C. redusa, and
C. vedusa Mc Atee, 1924 (derbid
planthopper) Caldwell, in 1944, added
Cedusa nedusa and
Cedusa zedusa.
Cnemaspis rishivalleyensis and
Hemidactylus rishivalleyensis Agarwal et
al. 2020 (geckos) Reuse of specific epithets is common, but
this is the only case I know where the same epithet is used for both
species described in a single paper.
Eucosma bobana, E. cocana, E. dodana, E. fofana, E. hohana,
E. kokana, E. lolana, E. momana, E. popana, E. rorana, E. sosana,
E. totana, E. vovana, E. fandana, E. gandana, E. handana, E. kandana,
E. mandana, E. nandana, E. randana, E. sandana, E. tandana, E.
vandana, E. wandana, E. xandana, E. yandana, E. zandana, E. nomana,
E. sonomana, E. vomonana, E. womonana, E. boxeana, E. canariana,
E. floridana, E. idahoana, E. miscana, E. subinvicta; Kearfott,
1907 (olethreutid moths)
Hysterosia biscana, H. discana, H. riscana, H.
viscana, H. wiscana, H. ziscana, H. foxcana, H. toxcana, H. voxcana, H.
zoxcana, H. baracana, H. waracana, H. zaracana, H. bomonana,H. nomonana,
H. romonana Kearfott, ~1907 (cochylid moths)
Maruina amada, M. amadora, M. cholita, M. muchacha,
M. querida, M. chamaca, M. chamaguita, M. chica, M. dama, M. nina,
M. tica, and M. vidamia Hogue, ~1973 (psychodid flies)
All these names of Latin American flies are Spanish
terms of endearment and diminutives.
Mnioes huk, M. iskay, M. kinsa, M. tawa, M. pisqa,
M. soqta, M. qanchis, M. pusaq Alvarado, 2020 (ichneumonid
wasps) The specific epithets mean "one", "two", "three", ...,
"eight" in Quechua. [Zootaxa 4743(2): 181]
Ophiocordyceps camponoti-balzani,
O. camponoti-melanotici, O. camponoti-novogranadensis,
O. camponoti-rufipedis Evans et al. 2011;
O. camponoti-atricipis, O. camponoti-bispinosi,
O. camponoti-indiani Araújo et al., 2015 (zombie-ant
fungi) Once considered a single species, Ophiocordyceps
unilateralis was found to include several species specializing on
particular species of ants. The species above are named for the ant
species which served as host. [PLoS One 2011,
6(3); Phytotaxa 2015, 220(3): 224-238.]
Ophiomyia prima, O. secunda, O. tertia, O. quarta, O. quinta,
O. sexta, O. septima, O. octava, O. nona, O. undecima, O. duodecima;
Spencer, 1969 (Agromyzid flies) Latin for "first", "second",
"third", etc. Why no O. decima?
Phanuromyia corys, P. cranos, P. cudo, P. galeata
Nesheim & Masner, and
P. hjalmr Nesheim (wasps)
Named after their large heads; the epithets each mean "helmet": in
Greek, Greek, Latin, Latin, and Old Norse, respectively.
There is also
P. galerita Nesheim & Masner from
Latin, "wearing a hood", again in reference to the large
head. [ZooKeys 663: 71]
Trigonopterus hitoloorum, T. kanawiorum, T. koveorum,
T. lekiorum, T. moreaorum, T. nangiorum, T. ragaorum, T. soiorum,
T. taurekaorum, T. tialeorum and
T. wariorum Riedel 2013 (weevils) With
101 new species to name, Riedel dedicated these weevils to the people
of Papua New Guinea and took the basis for their names from the 2010
Papua New Guinea Telephone Directory. [ZooKeys 280]
Trigonopterus satu, T. dua, T. tiga, T. empat,
T. lima, T. enam, T. tujuh, T. delapan, T. sembilan,
T. sepuluh, T. sebelas, T. duabelas Riedel, 2014 (more
weevils) The epithets are from Indonesian for the numbers 1 to 12.
(In that paper, 98 species were named.)
Solpugarda Roewer, 1933
Solpugassa Roewer, 1933
Solpugeira Roewer, 1933
Solpugella Roewer, 1933
Solpugema Roewer, 1933
Solpugopa Roewer, 1933
Solpugorna Roewer, 1933
Solpuguna Roewer, 1933
Solpugyla Roewer, 1933
Solpugelis Roewer, 1934
Solpugiba Roewer, 1934
Solpugista Roewer, 1934 (all solpugids)
Montifringilla theresae
Sylvia nana theresae
Melierax metabates theresae
Erythrospiza githaginea theresae
Alectoris barbata theresae
Scotocerca inquieta theresae
Galerida theklae theresae
Coccothraustes coccothraustes theresae
Riparia rupestris theresae
Oenanthe moesta theresae
Turdus viscivorus theresae
Garrulus glandarius theresae
Emberiza striolata theresae (various birds)
These are some of the several species and subspecies of birds named by
Col. Richard Meinertzhagen after Theresa Clay, a close "confidante" 33
years younger than himself. [Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 57 (1937) and
59 (1939): 63-69]
Neolamprolagus leloupi (Poll, 1948) (Lake
Tanganyika cichlid)
Neolamprolagus leleupi (Poll, 1956)
(another Lake Tanganyika cichlid)
Last modified: .
© 2002-2020
Mark Isaak.
All rights reserved.