Where do names come from?

In my ongoing catalog of the Annulariidae, I have attempted to find the
etymology for all of the 1600+ names. It is a good thing that some authors
explained why they named a species whatever they did, because otherwise we
(or at least I) would be clueless. For example, Poey described Cyclostoma
procax - procax means "unashamed." Unashamed of what, you may ask. Poey
explains it is unashamed "since it openly displays its naked bellybutton
(umbilicus)." Just to show he wasn't joking around, he named another
Cyclostoma honestum because "it demurely covers its umbilicus." The times
they have a-changed. With other names you have to delve deep to find out
what in the world the author had in mind. Pfeiffer named Chondropoma
caricae. Caricae means "fig." It doesn't look like a fig, and there aren't
any figs where the species came from. But in the Caribbean a "fig" is a
papaya, and sure enough Crosse reported 43 years later that the species
lived among papaya trees. Or take Baker's name "Troschelvindex" - which
means "Troschel's avenger" or "Troschel avenged." Say what? Baker was
getting back at Henderson & Bartsch, who had stated that Troschel (an 19th
century German malacologist who was completely convinced that the radula
was the key to everything) was incorrect in his description of a particular
radula. Baker found that Troschel's description was indeed correct, and so
as champion of dead malacologists everywhere, he nailed Henderson & Bartsch
- forever - with his backhanded "Troschelvindex." Typical Michigan person.
Finally, some meanings are lost forever. Pilsbry described a rather
nondescript species Chondropoma eutyches. "Eutyches" seems to mean "true
good fortune." Whatever had made him so happy, only Hank knows.

Out of the 1600+ names, my vote for the worst is (drum-roll):

Petasipoma bombardopolense Bartsch, 1946.

And they said Bartsch had no sense of humor.






*****************************************
 G Thomas Watters, PhD
 Ohio Biological Survey &
 Aquatic Ecology Laboratory
 Ohio State University
 1315 Kinnear Road
 Columbus, OH 43212 USA
 v: 614-292-6170  f: 614-292-0181
******************************************

"The world is my oyster except for months with an 'R' in them" - Firesign
Theater

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he
has to buy a license" - GTW

"Beliefs are more powerful than facts" - Duke Paulus Atreides