Question about scientific names

[Russette]

Hello I'm new here. I don't have any Ts yet but I'm doing some research before getting anything.

Anyway I was considering getting an A. avicularia but I have some questions about the scientific names.

From lurking around the board before joining, it's my understanding that purchasing by the scientific name and not the common name is very important so you know what you're getting. As such, I was looking at some suppliers lists and saw A. avicularia listed as:
A. avicularia
A. avicularia cf. metallica
A. avicularia morphotype metallica

What does "cf." and "morphotype" mean? Are these all the same species? Are they different?

 

[cold blood]

A. metallica used to be considered its own species....recent revisions (which happen from time to time) determined that metallica was a morphotype (or geographical variation) of A. avicularia. That said, its critically important to keep these varations separate in the hobby to maintain their purity as they do have differences.


Cf. metallica is just a (obvious) way to differentiate (although naming the morphotype is technically the proper designation).

 

[Russette]

Thanks for the answer, I'll keep it in mind while looking.
Does "cf" stand for anything? My reading suggests it might mean "colour form", and this is a term that I have seen around. Should Ts stay differentiated by colour form as well?

 

[cold blood]

color form (but its not really a color form in this case)

Generally speaking, there isn't color forms for most its used for (like rose hairs), but in some cases there are color variations (forms), like OBT and the N. ncei (which the gold form is simply a recessive gene...this is the lone example of such thing and also the only one where you would want to breed these color forms together).

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

color form (but its not really a color form in this case)

Generally speaking, there isn't color forms for most its used for (like rose hairs), but in some cases there are color variations (forms), like OBT and the N. ncei (which the gold form is simply a recessive gene...this is the lone example of such thing and also the only one where you would want to breed these color forms together).

Nope. "Cf." means "confer" which in turn means "compare to." However, A. avicularia cf. metallica would be an incorrect usage since "cf." is used when one doesn't know what species they are dealing with. "Avicularia cf. avicularia" or "Avicularia sp. cf. avicularia" would mean an unknown Avicularia species that compares to, or resembles, A. avicularia.

When it comes to pets, any other way of designating the A. avicularia variant with white tipped setae would be better than using "cf. metallica."

When writing Avicularia avicularia cf. metallica, one is saying "compare the known species, A. avicularia, with the invalid species A. metallica" which doesn't make any sense at all.

 

[Ungoliant]

Nope. "Cf." means "confer" which in turn means "compare to." However, A. avicularia cf. metallica would be an incorrect usage since "cf." is used when one doesn't know what species they are dealing with. "Avicularia cf. avicularia" or "Avicularia cf. avicularia" would mean an unknown Avicularia species that compares to, or resembles, A. avicularia.

I had started typing something along the same lines, but you beat me to it. I should really read the whole thread before spending time on replies.

 

[cold blood]

Thanks for the correction @AphonopelmaTX

 

[Krystal Anne]

Hopefully not too off topic, but terms like BCF or RCF are still used correctly at the end of a species name, right? So only "CF" alone means "confer" rather than "color form," but BCF still means "Blue Color Form"? (Ex. A. seemanni BCF)

 

[Ellenantula]

I wonder what the difference is in color form vs color factor -- perhaps 'factor' is artificial (like a 'red factor' canary fed a diet for 'red' feathering?) and 'form' meaning 'naturally occurring' ?

What's the difference in sp vs spp ??? Species?

[Is there a sticky for scientific abbreviations?]

 

[viper69]

Hopefully not too off topic, but terms like BCF or RCF are still used correctly at the end of a species name, right? So only "CF" alone means "confer" rather than "color form," but BCF still means "Blue Color Form"? (Ex. A. seemanni BCF)

Those terms refer to color form only.

I wonder what the difference is in color form vs color factor -- perhaps 'factor' is artificial (like a 'red factor' canary fed a diet for 'red' feathering?) and 'form' meaning 'naturally occurring' ?

What's the difference in sp vs spp ??? Species?

[Is there a sticky for scientific abbreviations?]

Where have you been seen color factor? I've never seen that, doesn't mean it's not used. There's no artificial coloring or additives in tarantulas Their color does not come from pigment.

The xCF, like RCF for example, just refers to the same species but it may be found with a different phenotype.

This is usually due to the animal being a different geographical locality.

 

[Ellenantula]

Where have you been seen color factor? I've never seen that, doesn't mean it's not used. There's no artificial coloring or additives in tarantulas Their color does not come from pigment.

I used to have a red factor canary -- had to feed a special diet with red dyes to keep him 'peachy' coloured; if put on regular diet he became yellow again.
Sorry -- it wasn't a tarantula reference.

[edited to add: https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/species/red-factor-canary/
Mine had to eat the special diet for its colour, it was not natural -- mine looked peach coloured, not red as some naturals have been bred]

 

[viper69]

I used to have a red factor canary -- had to feed a special diet with red dyes to keep him 'peachy' coloured; if put on regular diet he became yellow again.
Sorry -- it wasn't a tarantula reference.

Oh sorry, I thought you meant in T world, not bird world hah.

 

[boina]

What's the difference in sp vs spp

sp. is singular, spp. is plural, like Avicularia spp. when you talk about several Avicularia species.

ssp. means subspecies

 

[Ellenantula]

Oh sorry, I thought you meant in T world, not bird world hah.

I guess my question was if colour-form was the same as colour-factor -- or if form was natural and factor was artificial. Sorry for digression mods!