Common Names vs Scientific Names

[jayefbe]

Why are Scientific names always changing if they're that important?

The answer to this must be in this thread or elsewhere. Somehow, I think you're more interested in starting an argument than actually learning the answer.

Scientific names change to when new species are described, when it's discovered that newly described species were actually already described previously (the first name take precedence), when a species was originally called something incorrectly (which isn't the name changing, it's correcting an incorrect taxonomic identification) or because a more accurate relationship has been determined and a species is moved to a new genus.

 

[Jared781]

The answer to this must be in this thread or elsewhere. Somehow, I think you're more interested in starting an argument than actually learning the answer.

Scientific names change to when new species are described, when it's discovered that newly described species were actually already described previously (the first name take precedence), when a species was originally called something incorrectly (which isn't the name changing, it's correcting an incorrect taxonomic identification) or because a more accurate relationship has been determined and a species is moved to a new genus.

actually no.. again im quite curious!!!....

NOTICE: how i ressurrected an old thread instead of started a new one?? YET i still get the same replys! funny how that is huh??

 

[MrDeranged]

actually no.. again im quite curious!!!....

NOTICE: how i ressurrected an old thread instead of started a new one?? YET i still get the same replys! funny how that is huh??

You mean a reply that answers your question? Jayefbe gave you some very good reasons why scientific names change.

Scientific names change to when new species are described, when it's discovered that newly described species were actually already described previously (the first name take precedence), when a species was originally called something incorrectly (which isn't the name changing, it's correcting an incorrect taxonomic identification) or because a more accurate relationship has been determined and a species is moved to a new genus.

If that is too long for you, then I give you the TLDR version:

Scientific names change to keep up with science.

Enjoy
MrD

 

[Tarac]

You mean a reply that answers your question? Jayefbe gave you some very good reasons why scientific names change.

I think it's the part where it opens with a snarky remark about disinterest in learning that bothered him, not the explanation. And before I get one in return, I am aware of the background story... I'm just saying, he got the answer to the question prefaced by an attack so it's not surprising there is some defensiveness in response.

Latin names also get changed when old names are deemed "illegal" according to the rules of binomial nomenclature for a particular field. They aren't all the same though- zoology, for example, can have names which are redundant- Bison bison, Naga naga, etc. In botany, this is an illegal combination. Sometimes it is found that an older name takes precedence but changing it to that epithet would violate the laws governing name assignments so it has to be adjusted accordingly, usually by using a new name altogether.

Seems silly at a glance, but this is very important. The laws ensure that using a scientific name, even one that has been changed, you can still know exactly what organism it is you are talking about. Google "butterfly bush" and see how many different *families* of plant show up, let alone species. By using Senna bicapsularis or Buddleia davidii instead of "butterfly bush" there is no question which you are talking about. If you use an older, invalid name you will still be able to track the name change and find out what it is now synonymous with.

Names are changing a lot these days because our molecular techniques, which are fairly new in the scheme of things and have exponentially improved in a very short time, are being put to use. Suddenly a whole lot more information is available beyond morphology (which can be very deceptive) so the nomenclature has to be adjusted accordingly.

A perfect example is the Southern Pocket Gopher, or the Sandy Mounder, or the "Sallymander"- see how that gets distorted because it passes from one southern-drawling lay person to the next? Suddenly you find yourself in rural Florida wondering why this guy is telling you about all the destructive salamanders on his property when he lives in pine sand hills without a drop of water anywhere. There is no such thing as a "correct" common name, they are what they are and are therefor often inherently misleading and ambiguous.

Stick with latin, you can't go wrong. Just have to keep so you don't scolded for using Citharischius crawshayi.

 

[paassatt]

It isn't really correct to call them "latin names" because the names are derived from other languages too, like Greek, among others. Just wanted to point that out.

 

[Kris M]

I really despise having to decipher information from bulloop:.

As a newcomer to this hobby all this thread did was make me realize how many idiots are out there.

For the people who provided legitimate information, thank you.

 

[Tarac]

It isn't really correct to call them "latin names" because the names are derived from other languages too, like Greek, among others. Just wanted to point that out.

Yes it is- "Latin names" is the "common name" for binomial nomenclature, used even by scientists in casual settings. This is a random internet forum that anyone can join right?

Look right here, Purdue calls them "Latin" binomials:

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/courses/HORT217/Nomenclature/description.htm

The act of generating these names was described as "Latinizing" regardless of the origin of the roots.

 

[RyTheTGuy]

The answer to this must be in this thread or elsewhere. Somehow, I think you're more interested in starting an argument than actually learning the answer.

Lol, actually that's have the reason I started this thread "last year" ^.^ It is good to see this thread still starting arguments. lol jk.

 

[Bill S]

Yes it is- "Latin names" is the "common name" for binomial nomenclature, .....
The act of generating these names was described as "Latinizing" regardless of the origin of the roots.

Absolutely correct. Words and names from a wide range of backgrounds and languages have found their way into the binomial process, but they are Latinized and adhere to Latin grammatical rules.

 

[paassatt]

Yes it is- "Latin names" is the "common name" for binomial nomenclature, used even by scientists in casual settings. This is a random internet forum that anyone can join right?

Look right here, Purdue calls them "Latin" binomials:

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/courses/HORT217/Nomenclature/description.htm

The act of generating these names was described as "Latinizing" regardless of the origin of the roots.

Absolutely correct. Words and names from a wide range of backgrounds and languages have found their way into the binomial process, but they are Latinized and adhere to Latin grammatical rules.

I see that I stand corrected. Duly noted.

 

[sjl197]

I suggest see this wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binomial_nomenclature

under the heading 'Derivation of binomial names'.

as we all know wiki is not the fountain of all knowledge, but i think this bit useful to understand 'latinized'

 

[hawkesa1]

lmao...exactly

trust me, i understand whats going on here. you people want to feel like youve accomplished this great task of knowing all the scientific names. but why try and throw out all the more colorful names, that most people would be more attracted to? it makes no sense. the main point i tried to make earlier, was that tarantulas have been very unknown to me for the last 20yrs. im sorta pissed that i just now, at age 33, stumbled upon them. why is that? its because nobody is running around the world saying "chromatopelma cyaneopubescens", and it cracks me up the way you people think that abbreviating, or initialing these long words helps matters. that just makes it more confusing to what is what, to the average joe's. common names are what gave me the best visuals to what was what. sure some got a little confusing at times, but thats when i would use the scientific names to confirm what i was looking at (thats what they are for, confirmatation, not regular usage). but that was only for ten or so. i know for a fact, trying to put a visual with all the scientific names would have turned me off to the hobby faster than the speed of light. and im sure its happened to millions.

dont fool yourselves into thinking you t-addicts are these big bad brave souls that play with spiders, and everybody else that isnt here, are just afraid. truth is, we/they hadnt heard about all of them yet. not many people know that a bee sting is worse than most tarantula bites. only people like you guys know that. (one of your secrets to help keep the T-club secluded)

just look at kenthebugguys site, does he ignore the common names? hell no, hes smarter than that. same goes with all the other t-dealer sites ive seen. they want normal people to start buying their T's, not just anal hobbyist's.

like i was trying to point out before, i blame all of you for the reason it took me 20yrs to notice the hobby. but what i gathered from some of your comments, you dont care about the rest of the world catching on to your joyful t-world. like i said, secret codes to help keep them out. well guess what geeks....you have to share...HAHA



lmao @ motorkar....now they are all wolf spiders, not tarantulas? get outta here. im sure that you may be technically right, but who gives a damn....why try and confuse the hobby even more? lets just try to keep it simple so more people will want to join. sound good?

the more people that join the "club", the more spiders in circulation, the more spiders, the cheaper theyll be, the cheaper theyll be, the more we can all have. make sense?

im sure many more people here are afraid to speak up against your little devoted mob of wanna be scientists, but dont worry normal people, i got your back.

here are some common names, lets see which ones DONT instantly bring an image to your brain when you read them.

orange baboon
mexican flame knee
cobalt blue
costa rican zebra
venezuelan sun tiger
goliath bird eater
green bottle blue
peruevian purple pinktoe
king baboon
gooty ornamental

.....should i keep going?

I 100% agree with you. I think more people should get into the hobby. I think that we should use the common names, and have the scientific ones underneath them to help people learn so they know what other people are talking about. I also think that the "scientific names" should be translated into the other languages as close as possible (e.g. militaries = military, cubensis = Cuba, etc), so people can actually know what's being said and talked about. Otherwise it's just as confusing as if you're learning another language (which you are ).

Others may disagree with me, but that doesn't matter. I belive that the more people that come into hobbies, the more we learn and the more we share, whether it be knowledge, supplies, critters, etc. The more we will be able to work together and come up with solutions, and help out our fellow hobbies or even people as a whole.

 

[sparticus]

I 100% agree with you. I think more people should get into the hobby. I think that we should use the common names, and have the scientific ones underneath them to help people learn so they know what other people are talking about. I also think that the "scientific names" should be translated into the other languages as close as possible (e.g. militaries = military, cubensis = Cuba, etc), so people can actually know what's being said and talked about. Otherwise it's just as confusing as if you're learning another language (which you are ).

Others may disagree with me, but that doesn't matter. I belive that the more people that come into hobbies, the more we learn and the more we share, whether it be knowledge, supplies, critters, etc. The more we will be able to work together and come up with solutions, and help out our fellow hobbies or even people as a whole.

You've resurrected a zombie thread! The whole reason science uses Latin is because the name stays the same in every language, which avoids confusion about what exactly you are talking about. Try typing up a few sentences into Google translate, translating it into another language, then back to English and see what happens. When you have 4 or 5 distinct animals that are all "red knee" tarantulas, and countless "pink toes" and "red rumps", it makes sense to use names that are more specific so everyone in the community understands what you are talking about.