Correct Species Names

[erose]

OK FF friends,

It is hot as all-get-out in my shop right now. Mid 90's inside, and closer to 100 outside. More humid than usual too. Time to take a break...

First off I'm not singling anyone out…But I thought this would be of value to everyone new or old to fossils.

Addressing a minor pet peeve.

When writing out the latin name of a species ONLY the genus is capitalized. The species is always lower case. Now this seems counterintuitive as we were all taught that proper names are always capitalized but not so with fossils or any other flora or fauna that follows zoological nomenclature.

So remember it is Exogyra ponderosa NOT Exogyra Ponderosa.

That was all for now...

Back to the broiler!

Got to love Texas.

Erich

[Auspex]

The heat'll do things to ya'...

As an aside, the Forum's software automatically capitalizes the first letter of every word in the topic title, so there is no shame in this instance.

Also: Vertebra = singular, Vertebrae = plural.

Now, is it Cretalamna or Cretolamna?

I expect we'll be hearing from JPC and Carl in this topic...

[JohnJ]

Well, I'm singling you out, Erich...well said.

I'm sure many people never realized there was a formal format. It may not top their "things I learned today" list, but at least it will be on there.

OK FF friends,

It is hot as all-get-out in my shop right now. Mid 90's inside, and closer to 100 outside. More humid than usual too. Time to take a break...

First off I'm not singling anyone out…But I thought this would be of value to everyone new or old to fossils.

Addressing a minor pet peeve.

When writing out the latin name of a species ONLY the genus is capitalized. The species is always lower case. Now this seems counterintuitive as we were all taught that proper names are always capitalized but not so with fossils or any other flora or fauna that follows zoological nomenclature.

So remember it is Exogyra ponderosa NOT Exogyra Ponderosa.

That was all for now...

Back to the broiler!

Got to love Texas.

Erich

[billheim]

It's not just the Forum's software. Spell checkers everywhere are constantly changing my species to caps. I've had to go back and correct at least 5 species today in Outlook emails.

But to the erose's point, here are a few more tips for properly noting the genus and species in writings.

• Always Italicize latin names.
• When using the genus more than once in an article, you can abbreviate the genus after the first use and spell out the species. For example Rafinesquina ponderosa becomes R. ponderosa.
• A genus with an unknown or ambiguous species should be written with the species name of "sp.." For example Rafnesquina sp.
• When describing a specific species it's helpful to include the last name of the person who originally described it after the species. For example Rafinesquina ponderosa Hall. Note that the describer's name is not Italicized.

There are a few more rules that are slipping my mind, but these are the top ones for me.

To Auspex's other point, I was recently corrected on a latin gender of a species that did not match the genus. I won't make that mistake again! (yes, I will.)

Plaesiomys subquadrata should always be written Plaesiomys subquadratus. In all the works before this century on this brachiopod, they used P. subquadrata. Now I'm seeing all new works use the new spelling, P. subquadratus!

Newbie's - please don't run away at this point. It gets more fun from here.

Bill

[Harry Pristis]

For the visual learners:

[BobWill]

Yeah Erich, I used to tell people "if you can't stand the heat you got no business in Texas". However the older I get, the harder it is to take so I'm moderating my stance a little. The few hot weeks in summer do make you appreciate the rest of the year though.

I have another issue with names. Some folks see an "s" at the end of a name and use it that way as the plural form, then leave off the "s" when they use the word in the singular tense.

This also brings up a question I never had such a good occasion to ask. When you are just discussing a species or even a genus without declaring the formal name (maybe you have already mentioned it), is it Ok outside of a published paper to skip the italics? I see this sometimes and probably even do it myself. Is there a place for more formality and a place for less? There is often a less formal version of the name of phyla, classes, orders, etc. which is used when you are not listing taxa, eg. Echinodermata vs. echinoderms.

[jpc]

The heat'll do things to ya'...

As an aside, the Forum's software automatically capitalizes the first letter of every word in the topic title, so there is no shame in this instance.

Also: Vertebra = singular, Vertebrae = plural.

Now, is it Cretalamna or Cretolamna?

I expect we'll be hearing from JPC and Carl in this topic...

Yes, auspex... I saw this post and had my own two cents to add, but billheim touched upon them. Except this.. if you want to be totally correct, after the name of the describer, the date if description goes on the end: Rafinesquina ponderosa Hall 1877. (I made up that date, but you get the idea). To get this formal on a name takes a bit of work, so I am usually content myself with the genus (always capitalized and italicized).

Have I mentioned before that I know a certain geology professor who uses the word 'vertebrae' incorrectly when there is only one vert? I have spent years correcting this person and it is starting to pay off. I have a hard time understanding how a person can have a PhD in this field and continue to make this mistake. It also bugs the heck out of me that another prof I know cannot spell their way our of a paper bag... shameful.

This is a good time to mention that young people who think they can get away with spelling mistakes, no punctuation and txt-speak had better learn to use both punctuation and spelling before they try to impress anyone into hiring them.

Thanks for listening... thanks for inviting me, auspex. Rant over.

[ashcraft]

Hah! Go back and read everybody's posts and look for all of the incorrect grammar and sentence structure. The average biologist is commiserating, the average english teacher is aghast.

School starts in a few weeks! Gotta get back in the flow.

8 more first days!

Brent Ashcraft

[Ludwigia]

• Always Italicize latin names.

I'm sure you meant to add "of genus and species". As others have pointed out, the mostly Latin names of Families and other branches up the tree are just capitalized.

This also brings up a question I never had such a good occasion to ask. When you are just discussing a species or even a genus without declaring the formal name (maybe you have already mentioned it), is it Ok outside of a published paper to skip the italics? I see this sometimes and probably even do it myself. Is there a place for more formality and a place for less?

I also wonder about that myself. I find myself, as I notice others doing, including professionals during correspondence, leaving the italics when I name a genus without using the sp. next to it or the species name alone, but as soon as both come together I habitually also italicize them both informally.

Hah! Go back and read everybody's posts and look for all of the incorrect grammar and sentence structure. The average biologist is commiserating, the average english teacher is aghast.

School starts in a few weeks! Gotta get back in the flow.

8 more first days!

Brent Ashcraft

A good teacher always corrects his students on the spot, but perhaps that's asking too much

[Doctor Mud]

Yeah Erich, I used to tell people "if you can't stand the heat you got no business in Texas". However the older I get, the harder it is to take so I'm moderating my stance a little. The few hot weeks in summer do make you appreciate the rest of the year though.

I have another issue with names. Some folks see an "s" at the end of a name and use it that way as the plural form, then leave off the "s" when they use the word in the singular tense.

This also brings up a question I never had such a good occasion to ask. When you are just discussing a species or even a genus without declaring the formal name (maybe you have already mentioned it), is it Ok outside of a published paper to skip the italics? I see this sometimes and probably even do it myself. Is there a place for more formality and a place for less? There is often a less formal version of the name of phyla, classes, orders, etc. which is used when you are not listing taxa, eg. Echinodermata vs. echinoderms.

I guess the convention for informal communication is - as long as the audience/receiver knows what we are talking about. In a paper you have to italicize genus and species, otherwise the reviewers and editor might get frustrated and reject your paper (or at least insist on revisions). In everyday correspondence there are no likely repercussions except perhaps a visit from the....... Protocol Police!!!

I do it all the time. The time it takes to move that cursor and change the font to italics......heaven forbid! But I noticed here you can (like in Word) highlight text and hot Control+I to italicize

If people are interested in the protocol......a few more things.

- Some people refer to the genus as the species (e.g. there was only one species there: Isurus). Since this is the genus, you could say there was only one taxon there.

- We put a sp. or a spp. after the genus name, e.g. Isurus sp. or Isurus spp. This (for me) is when the fossil is not identifiable to species. If there is only one described species use "sp." if there are multiple, use "spp."

- One more convention. When you are repeating a species name a lot in text, e.g. Isurus hastalis, you can abbreviate the genus name after you spell it out in full the first time, e.g. I. hastalis.

[Harry Pristis]

There are some exceptions to the capitalization and italics conventions. The first to come to mind are among the megatooth sharks: "megalodon," "auriculatus," perhaps "otodus" have been transformed into common names.

I think this sort of transformation is less common among mammals (for which we have facile common names), but "equus" is a candidate, I think.

Among birds and reptiles and amphibians, "anhinga" and "alligator" and "siren" and "amphiuma" come to mind. I couldn't think of a bony fish example, but I'm certain there must be a few.

Can you think of other examples of a binomial element has be converted to a common name?

[snolly50]

gorilla

Oh, and for fish, just thought of plecostomus.

[PFOOLEY]

Guilty...good to know, thanks.

[erose]

There are some exceptions to the capitalization and italics conventions. The first to come to mind are among the megatooth sharks: "megalodon," "auriculatus," perhaps "otodus" have been transformed into common names.

I think this sort of transformation is less common among mammals (for which we have facile common names), but "equus" is a candidate, I think.

Among birds and reptiles and amphibians, "anhinga" and "alligator" and "siren" and "amphiuma" come to mind. I couldn't think of a bony fish example, but I'm certain there must be a few.

Can you think of other examples of a binomial element has be converted to a common name?

Always wondered if some of those early "latin" names were in fact the casual names used before Linaeus.

[ZiggieCie]

I surender, my speling has never been worth a krap , if it wasent for spell checkers I would be run out of here.

What is worse, is that I see a lot of grammatical errors, and that is sad if I catch them.

On scientific spelling I copy and paste and hope they have the names right.

I do take your combined intellect and will watch for errors in my fossil data-base.

[Auspex]

I absolutely guarantee that no one is going to be run out for failure to adhere to perfect technical nomenclature, misspellings, or eccentric grammar! Everything served up here is "FYI", and we are inclusive of all rule abiding contributors no matter their level of knowledge or language skills.

[Doctor Mud]

I absolutely guarantee that no one is going to be run out for failure to adhere to perfect technical nomenclature, misspellings, or eccentric grammar! Everything served up here is "FYI", and we are inclusive of all rule abiding contributors no matter their level of knowledge or language skills.

Hear, hear!!

Well said Auspex.

[ZiggieCie]

[ashcraft]

A good teacher always corrects his students on the spot, but perhaps that's asking too much

I speak chemistry and hick, understand red neck and drunk.........proper english is way out of my league.

Brent Ashcraft

[verydeadthings]

Just for fun, more technicalities about species names...

cf. after the genus name: usually given when the specimen is similar to a particular species but either a partial specimen or unusual morphology. For example, Discoaster cf. kugleri means it's in the genus Discoaster, looks like the species Discoaster kugleri, but the identification is somewhat uncertain.

aff. after the genus name: usually given when the specimen is a potential new species, morphologically similar to the species following the abbreviation. For example, Discoaster aff. kugleri means it's a potentially new species or morphotype most similar to Discoaster kugleri.

[jpc]

Always wondered if some of those early "latin" names were in fact the casual names used before Linaeus.

I have always assumed they were...

As for bird names that have become english names from the latin, there are many... vireo and trogon are the examples I can think of in my local (continental) fauna, but the the tropics have many... euphonia, chlorophonia, elaenia, tityra, and other such household bird names.

[Coco]

Hi,

it is always a good thing to remind the rules of naming. But what hampers me a lot (as foreigner and not been used to YOUR species), it is the use of the species latin name without the genus name. When we aren't not used, how to know what "chub" (chubutensis ? je ne suis pas sûre de savoir l'écrire) ou "meg" (megalodon) is ?

A species name without its genus name means nothing !

Coco

[billheim]

cf. after the genus name: usually given when the specimen is similar to a particular species but either a partial specimen or unusual morphology. For example, Discoaster cf. kugleri means it's in the genus Discoaster, looks like the species Discoaster kugleri, but the identification is somewhat uncertain.

aff. after the genus name: usually given when the specimen is a potential new species, morphologically similar to the species following the abbreviation. For example, Discoaster aff. kugleri means it's a potentially new species or morphotype most similar to Discoaster kugleri.

Ahhh. Thanks verydeadthings. I was trying to remember these two.

I have not used these two in my writings yet because I mostly address beginners on web-based articles and reports and try to stay less formal so I don't loose them. But I'm not shy to use the proper genus and species where I can. I've found in verbal presentations, parents hate it when I use many latin names when addressing their kids. I can understand their concern, but I few kids do pick it up early and have "quite a mouth on them" after learning these genus and species names.

Bill

[cowsharks]

I appreciate this sort of thread because it really does help to be corrected from time to time, rather than to continue to propagate errors etc. The more us amateurs learn (from the professionals), the less mistakes, errors, etc. I've only been on TFF for about 7 or 8 years, and I've always felt that folks are here to be helpful, and I certainly appreciate that.

If I could as a question or two myself, which is correct "Paleocene" or "Palaeocene"; with or without the "a" after the "l"?

Daryl.

[billheim]

I think the latter is the British spelling. I might be wrong.

Bill