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Charles Darwin’s Barnacle and David Bowie’s Spider
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UNLIKE plastic dinosaurs, new species don’t arrive with names on their bellies. Assigning them a name, however, isn’t as easy as it might seem.
In , which is beautifully illustrated by Emily Damstra, he explains not only how species are named, but why some have odder names than others. Reasons people choose names can vary from seeking to honour a respected colleague, thank a patron, celebrate a loved one or, in some cases, mourn their death.
Metellina merianae, a spider, is one of nine different species named after German wildlife artist and adventurer Maria Sibylla Merian. Further twists occur when the name has an association: David Bowie’s spider is thin and long-legged with a red-furred head (cue the song Ziggy Stardust).
Scientific naming has fashions too. The recent Game of Thrones-themed wasps Laelius lannisteri, Laelius targaryeni and Laelius starki were preceded by Harry Potter-based Eriovixia gryffindori, a spider with a Sorting Hat-shaped abdomen.
But the book is more than an exposition of terminological cleverness. Heard provides some interesting social commentary on in-groups and out-groups in biology. He also covers the slow infiltration of female names beyond wives, sweethearts and children, as well as the need for mindfulness when naming after people or sacred sites, and the pros and cons of selling the right to choose a species name.
