Hi all, I’m curious about what iNaturalist community’s thoughts are on editing common names for consistency’s sake. While iNat has a requirement that a common name exists elsewhere before it is added to iNaturalist, it has become at least somewhat prevalent that someone will make up a common name o…

If it were actually a “common” name you could likely find alternative sources on the internet that use the variation you prefer, and add it to the common name list for that species. An example of this is Eriophorum cottongrasses . Half of the species have the form “Common Cotton-Grass” and half have…

I think if you were to edit these “fake” common names to make them consistent that would be fine. But if they really are just citing their entry on bug guide then shouldn’t the common name just be removed? The vast majority of arthropods don’t have common names and probably never will. I think that’…

There has been another user that has added countless common names (also for other groups) that they do not specialize in (wrong Phylum even), but citing a separate source whos government has made up common names…these common names are worse than what this user is doing. I am not sure if adding commo…

[image] kenneth_g: I am not sure if adding common names is restricted to curators It is not restricted. [image] kenneth_g: reducing drama that never is resolved and wasting time/energy. Always a good idea when dealing with social media!

I delete this kind of thing where I see it, but it’s really a game of whack-a-mole and I don’t go out of my way to find them. Circular references for common names do go against iNat policy, but the rules around common names are rarely enforced. Some think that every species needs a common name… I p…

No one has replied to the question regarding cottongrasses (presumably since the other question is more interesting) but I really would like to hear opinions on this (since a similar question has come up in flags many, many times without resolution). TIA

[image] bos_mutus: It should have been “The Bane of Cyanide” or something like that That reminds me of a name I made up some years ago: “frogbane beetles” for Epomis (which has since been sunk into Chlaenius). I suggested it to Gil Wizen, but nothing came of it.

I went ahead and implemented the changes as discussed in the flag . It’s easily changed if anyone is strongly opposed, but I don’t foresee that.

It’s certainly not just recently. There are undoubtedly many hundreds of names added by the same user, after he invented them on BugGuide

Editing Common Names for Consistency

Curators

upupa-epops October 8, 2025, 7:13pm 9

There are a couple threads discussing this or a related issue already, if referencing them will help: Curator guidelines about made-up names / Best Course of Action with Deceptively Incorrect Common Name?

Topic		Replies	Views
What to do about silly common names? General common-names	53	2261	August 5, 2024
Common names invented on iNat General common-names	192	12506	March 29, 2023
Curator guidelines about made-up names Curators common-names	80	2166	September 24, 2024
Common names from "not good enough" sources Curators	72	5478	November 16, 2021
Inventing common names redux General	68	2451	May 6, 2023

Editing Common Names for Consistency

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