The Right of a Fly to a Common Name

[sbushes]

@upupa-epops

If I were to make up a name for tachinids, I would call them “bristle flies”. It turns out, there’s a source on the internet using that as a name for the family and someone’s already added it to iNat.

Bristle flies seems like a good name for Tachinids to me!
I’ll ask @chrisrap about these, I wonder what other names they have had over the years.
A writer friend of mine described Nowickia ferox as being like a grumpy old lady with a handbag which I always thought rather wonderful.

@calebcam

I have a suggestion, though. I think, if you describe a new species, you can name it yourself

I actually collected specimens of a new species here which needs describing at present.
As it happens - a springtail. But… again, as mentioned above, this is really not about my personal right. I am not interested in having the right for me alone to name creatures! That would be weird.
Maybe I need to change the title of this thread.

Here’s what I’m hearing:

EITHER

1. Common names are ok if they come from shared community spaces - in which case, a community of people online is as valid as any other offline community in my book.

OR

2. Common names should only come from experts and naming committees.
   The logic of this invalidates the notion of real common names which have evolved within communities.

@pmeisenheimer

The idea that we should name everything is hubris.

I haven’t suggested this either. This is hyperbole.