Naming the menagerie: creativity, culture and consequences in the formation of scientific names

Abstract

The coining of scientific names for newly described species is one of the most creative acts in science. We briefly review the history of species naming, with an emphasis on constraints and freedoms in the choice of new names and how they came to be. We then consider patterns in etymologies and linguistic origins of scientific names across clades and through time. Use of 'non-classical' languages (those other than Latin and Greek) in naming species has increased, as has the use of eponymous names (despite recent controversy around the practice). Finally, we consider ways in which creativity in naming has consequences for the conduct and outcome of scientific work. For example, sale of naming rights has funded research and conservation, while naming species after celebrities has increased media attention to the science of species discovery. Other consequences of naming are more surprising, including a strong effect of species-name etymology on the kinds of scientific studies conducted for plant-feeding arthropods. Scientific naming is a clear example of how science and scientists are socially situated, and how culturally influenced decisions such as what to name a new species can affect both public perception of science and the conduct of science itself.

Keywords: Latin names; etymology; nomenclature; scientific names; species discovery; taxonomy.

Figure 1.

Incidence of non-classical etymologies (languages other than Latin and Greek) through time, for two large compilations of scientific names. Points are individual names; line is best logistic regression fit (with 95% confidence interval). (a) Plant-feeding arthropods, Z = 3.09 p = 0.08; names from [29]. (b) Spiders, Z = 37.05, p < 10⁻⁸; data from [28].