Importing vernacular names created by coleopterists

[silaseckhardt]

How about running a list of common names by Dr. Arthur Evans, Mr. Ted MacRae, Mr. Robert Anderson? They are experienced coleopterists, and experts in their field. They have described several species, made common names which are still in use today. This would seem to at least fix the overlap, as well as the name quality issues.

[bouteloua]

Your post title was unclear - I edited it but feel free to revise.

[kenneth_g]

I’m not too sure of how the process works to ‘register’ a common name, but many people in their field usually tend to prefer the scientific name over the common name (if applicable) to negate any potential overlap in common names.
Also, even if you have a common name for a lay person, that may not necessarily inform them on what that individual as there’s still a ‘language’ barrier (ie: a normal person wouldn’t know what a Summer fishfly (Chauliodes pectinicornis) is regardless of if you tell them a scientific or common name. One may think that it’s a type of flying fish that appears in the summer.

[comores3]

I agree but I think common names help species be more memorable to laypeople. While not an accurate description, “Summer fishfly” is much more imagination-catching than a Latin name.

[pfau_tarleton]

@comores3

I think common names help species be more memorable to laypeople

I agree with that. But for species that laypeople likely never encounter, having a vernacular name is no better than having no vernacular name at all since almost no one would be using it to communicate with one another. Are there many examples of a species that had no “natural” common name that was given a vernacular name by experts that then came into common usage? If I were an expert, I’d have so many more important things to do than to fret over creating or moderating vernacular names.

[jasonhernandez74]

@pfau_tarleton

Are there many examples of a species that had no “natural” common name that was given a vernacular name by experts that then came into common usage?

None spring to mind. What does spring to mind are examples of species for which the genus name became such a common vernacular name that it stuck even after taxonomic revision moved the species to a new genus. What a gardener means by “geranium” is more likely Genus Pelargonium than Genus Geranium.

Whether this ever happened with beetles is open to question.

[fffffffff]

Depends on what you call a common usage, there’re many moth names created by scientists that I use, easier to remember and of course easier to write correctly. I also use those names outside of iNat and call organisms that to other people.
If those beetle names make sense and are used by someone, they should be added, just need someone with a will to do so.