There is a very unfortunate case about a bacterium that has an accepted name of “Myxococcus llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochensis”. This name was obviously chosen as a publicity stunt and makes a complete mockery of scientific procedure. No one can be expected t…

[image] gerrit_oehm: … maybe there should be a maximum length for scientific names? Perhaps to allow flexibility in naming, there should be no firm limit on the length of scientific names, but the organizations listed below could each adopt provisions that proposed names that exceed a specifi…

This concern mirrors one of the most famous “feuds” in insect taxonomy history- that of Meyrick and Kearfott in the early 1900s. Kearfott named a bunch of moths with “nonsense names” in 1907, which Meyrick thought would be impossible to remember and keep straight. So in 1912, he published this paper …

Thank you for sharing, it is a gem! I can recommend taking a look at the article, it is a great read (including the list of names, ideally reading the species epithets out loud)! The article starts on page 32 of the abovementioned publication, page number referring to the original publication, but …

I like it. Hearing pronounced makes more sense than most French.

[image] paul_dennehy: (they need more name letters to compensate for their lack of membrane-bound organelles?) That is a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious way to explain it.

I’m with Mr Meyrick. They’re very silly, just rhyming noises. I thought they were supposed to mean something that describes the species! At least Llanfair… means something. I liked the banana one though, I’d let Kearfott have that one (it’s a bit easier to read at the internet archive maybe https:…

This name might be bad, but what about Schoenoplectus? Hesperoyucca? Whoever comes up with names more than 10 letters long should be mandated to write them 1000 times on a wet field sheet when it’s 45 degrees and windy out. Things like six letter codes and such do help some, but some of the names r…

Not very good examples. 4 simple syllables and 5 simple syllables made by joining a common Greek word with a very common (in cultivation) plant name.

[image] charlie: Hesperoyucca? Actually, it’s a very nice name. The plants are beautiful, too. To remember how to spell the name, practice the rhythm of the pronunciation, with the accents on the first and the fourth syllables, and it becomes almost musical. Then the spelling just flows natur…

How to campaign against the Llanfairpwll Myxococcus' name

Nature Talk

raymie September 23, 2024, 6:00pm 9

How dare you want to change such an incredible scientific name? Do you want science to be a place of no fun?

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How to campaign against the Llanfairpwll Myxococcus' name

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