Funny, long, or just plain weird animal names

Nature Talk
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I recently learned of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotwheels_sisyphus from china

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I put a general ID of Orthoptera on an unknown a while back, and today the ID of “Funnyface Locusts” came back and I was charmed instantly. Who knew that was an accepted common name? Funnyface Locusts! It’s totally fitting to the insect we were ID’ing, too.

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Maidenhair spleenwort and perplexing bumble bee.

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Nuttall’s cockle is just a cockle named after Nuttall. I’m not sure what’s wrong with that.

The fat gaper is named because of how inflated (fat) it is, and it’s called a gaper because it and the other clams in the Tresus genus don’t fully close :)

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I’d guess “false sparrows” would be new world sparrows and other old world sparrows not in Passer, “false jellies” would be comb jellies, box jellies or stalked jellies, and “false bugs” would be any arthropod that people call bugs that isn’t in the Hemiptera order.

So, the “True […]” names can sometimes be useful (although I think choosing a different name also works in some scenarios). For example, “True Sparrows” could be “Common Sparrows” or “Old World Sparrows.” But, I think “True” can also work.

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The combination of Magnificent frigatebird and lesser frigatebird is just mean.

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What?? Whose great idea was this??

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It does rather look like it is in aspic.

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A mycologist whose editor forced them to come up with common names for some book or paper?

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Yes, but wouldn’t gelatinous-based stalked puffball or something like that be more eloquent?

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Interesting name, They look more like a ninety-eight or eighty-nine depending on which side. What a pretty butterfly though!

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Maidenhair spleenwort is probably called that because it resembles a maidenhair fern, but that just pushes the problem one level back, so to speak.

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I can see that, but spleenwort?

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http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D27%3Achapter%3D17

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No, that would be more like what a taxonomic expert would come up with: straight, boring description.

If taxonomic experts had their way, the Resplendent Quetzal would be the Long-plumed Trogon or something like that. The Bahama Woodstar would be the Purple-throated Hummingbird.

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makes mental note to discover the Atomic Fireball Spleenwort someday

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Not everyone can be magnificent :relieved:

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Love that perplexing bumble bee and can definitely see why someone named it that.

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I just happened upon a bee I was trying to help identify and the only option on the list of suggested species was a Red-legged bumble bee carpenter :flushed: what a mouthful! It definitely wasn’t that species though.

Another long one that I always chuckle at is Euodynerus Hidalgo boreoorientalis, try saying that really fast :laughing: I’m hispanic so i pronounce it in my head how it would sound in Spanish.

Identifying plants and insects while in vacay in my home country I found a couple interesting species

Clitoria fairchildiana (Butterfly Pea Tree)… Who came up with that name :sweat_smile:

And St Andrews Cotton Stainer…I have no words :sweat_smile:

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Not everyone can be Fabulous either. :rainbow:

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