Most Fun Scientific Names

Kakapo said:
What is "Bugeranas"????
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If pronounced incorrectly it has a rude connotation in English.

The name, of course, is in reality a combination of Bos and Geranus.

Turdus and Silybum similarly have rude-sounding names in English words.
 
Chlidonias said:
If pronounced incorrectly it has a rude connotation in English.

The name, of course, is in reality a combination of Bos and Geranus.

Turdus and Silybum similarly have rude-sounding names in English words.
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Thanks, I was typing in a reply when my connection crashed.
 
And as for Turdus obscurus, I was (and still am) smarting at the way a male of this species has turned up on an inaccessible Scottish island. It doesn’t look obscure in markings, or similarity to other species to me!
 
I've got a bunch of various examples, in ascending order :
  • the former fish name Lo vulpinus (presently Siganus vulpinus), because of the two-letter name of genus
  • the Crested Ibis Nipponia nippon. Already said on this thread, but with its name and the white and red face of this bird, there's nothing more Japanese than it
  • the genus of parasitic Isopodes Anilocra and its derivatives Nerocila, Renocila, Norileca... all of these are anagrams of the name Carolina/Caroline. The identity of the woman (if it's an actual woman) who inspired these crazy names remains a mystery... The initial "inventor" of the Anilocra genus (the British zoologist Mr Leech) was probably fond of anagrams besides any feminine inspiration, because he created the Dacelo genus for the Australasian Kingfishers (Kookaburras), obviously an anagram of the Eurasian genus Alcedo...
  • the genus of Sea Cucumbers Cucumaria. In French language it sounds like a combination of a slang name for "B***tocks" and of the female name "Maria"
  • bonus : in my animal Safari Cards, the Giant Cockroach is described under the name Blabrida blaberus, that I haven't found elsewhere (maybe an obsolete synonym for Blaberus giganteus, I would be pleased if anyone has more information about this name). I really love this name because in French it sounds like blabla, literally blah blah, blathering... [and in French the most common name for "cockroach" is "Blatte"]
 
The former scientific name of the Roseate Spoonbill Ajaia ajaja. No clue how to pronounce it so I say it how it's spelled and it is quite entertaining.
 
In Australia there is a population of rodents that used to have the name Pseudomys minnie. The specific name came from the type locality of Minnie Downs Station in South Australia, rather than a cartoon character. It has since been lumped with the Plains Rat (Pseudomys australis).
 
I'm wondering if the blind cave beetle named after Hitler wasn't meant to be derogatory?
Much like the proposed caecilian

Dermophis donaldtrumpi
which is meant as a protest against his terrible environmental policies
 
Sciurus lis is a really cool name in my opinion. My understanding is that 'lis' is a phonetic transcription in latin of the Japanese word for 'squirrel' (risu).
 
Wanderer said:
Sciurus lis is a really cool name in my opinion. My understanding is that 'lis' is a phonetic transcription in latin of the Japanese word for 'squirrel' (risu).
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Ive noticed a couple instances of the specific epithet of Japanese animals being derived their Japanese common name:
  • Picus awokera (Japanese Green Woodpecker) from 'aokera'
  • Acheilognathus tabira (Tabira Bitterling) from 'tabira'
  • Tanakia tanago (Tokyo Bitterling) from 'tanago', not a specific common name for that species but a general term for bitterlings
  • Scyliorhinus torazame (Cloudy Catshark) from 'torazame' (literally, 'tiger shark')
  • Hemitrygon akajei (Red Stingray) from 'akaei' (literally, 'red ray')
  • Aetobatus narutobiei (Naru Eagle Ray) from 'narutobiei' (literally, 'Black Kite (the bird) ray from Naru')
  • Myliobatis tobijei (Japanese Eagle Ray) from 'tobiei' (literally, 'Black Kite ray')
  • Oncorhynchus masou (Cherry Salmon) from 'masu', a general term for salmons and trouts
  • Gymnogobius isaza (Isaza Goby) from 'isaza'
  • Decapterus maruadsi (Japanese Scad) from 'maruaji'
  • Decapterus muroadsi (Temperate Scad) from 'muroaji'
  • Rheopresbe kazika (Fourspine Sculpin) from 'kazika', a general term for sculpins
  • Scarus obishime (Ogasawara Parrotfish) from 'obishime'
And some for the generic epithet:
  • Konosirus from 'konoshiro' (K. punctatus, Dotted Gizzard Shad)
  • Hime from 'hime' (H. japonicus, Japanese Thread-sail)
  • Takifugu from 'takifugu' (T. oblongus, Oblong Blowfish)
 
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