Paul, you happened to mention the bizarrely named Penicillus penis the
other day, and I finally got around to looking up its etymology this
weekend. As you recall, "penis" is Latin for "tail", and the word acquired
other meanings later. One of the later meanings is "brush", which is
reasonable; a donkey's tail can look rather brushlike. A "penicillus" is a
"little brush"; the word was eventually shortened to "pencil" in English.
But I suspect that the author took some perverse punning delight in naming
Penicillus penis, all the same. Remember that taxonomy was a men's club
until the late nineteenth century.
 
And before you bring it up, no, there is nothing particularly lurid about
Ostrea lurida. "Lurida" means "dirty brown, smoky yellow, drab yellow", a
rather jaundiced color, hence "ghastly" or "gruesome".
 
But not all of these dubious names are puns. Linnaeus' Distorsio anus
probably means exactly what it says. I suspect that the old taxonomist had
a sense of humor, especially after an akvavit or two. It just wasn't a good
one.
 
Andrew K. Rindsberg
Geological Survey of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA