stripes on its tail, and anything that includes ‘fasciatus’ in
its name can also be relied upon to have stripes (e.g. the
Fijian Banded Iguana, Brachylophus fasciatus).To any-
one with a basic knowledge of Greek, the generic name
of the King Cobra (Ophiophagus) is entirely descriptive
of its lifestyle as a ‘snake-eater’. While the species name
hannah is more cryptic, it is actually indicative of an
arboreal habit, as it is derived from the name of tree-
dwelling nymphs in Greek mythology. Many geckos are
classified by their toe-pads, and ‘-dactylus’, or toe, is a
common suffix. Pseudothecadactylus is a real tongue-
twister, but translates pretty easily as ‘false sheath toe’.
Increasingly, in the modern era, there are also the names
which are simply for fun. A species of Rhinoceros Beetle
rejoices in the name of Cyclocephala nodanotherwon.
And if you don’t think scientists have a sense of humour,
how about entomologist Arnold Menke, who in 1988
named a new species of wasp Pison eu? Entomologists
obviously enjoy a good gag, because there is also a genus
of flies named Pieza, which includes the species Pieza
kake, Pieza rhea and Pieza pi. Then there is the genus of
fungus beetles which includes the gems Gelae rol (‘jelly
roll’), Gelae belae (‘jelly belly’), Gelae donut, Gelae fish
and Gelae bean!
And finally, another piece of trivia: the only organism
that I am aware of with a common name that is identical
to the scientific name is Boa constrictor (excluding dino-
saurs, which don’t have common names and are thus
always referred to by the scientific name or part thereof).
Honourable mentions go to the American Bison (Bison
bison), the Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx), and of course the
Green Iguana (Iguana iguana).
Dubbed the ‘father of modern taxonomy’, Linnaeus’
name lives on in the Twinflower Linnaea borealis, which
he encountered in swathes on his journey to Lapland, and
was to become his favourite flower.