Hi all,
 
you can name a shell after anybody and anything you like, but
you only have to keep on the rules of nomenclature. The only recommendation would be not to use ugly, swinish and obscene
terms for a description. But you can use also terms which are
often looking nonsense, only you have to keep on the rules.
Also many words are not to understand for all people. There is a German word "noch eine" (in English "another one") and the species name of an insect has been described using a free invented latin translation for "noch eine" and was so called "noanae".
But back to species named after persons. One could or
should name a species after meritorious persons on the field
of malacology or entomology and so on. But there are eventual
more persons who will merit to be honoured in a description or
more that another person, who is just perpetuated and named
after. Remember that dedications to persons also were in the past
Many shells were named after persons just in the middle of
1800 and so on.
 
My mother and I instead feel that it's nice to name a shell after
a cat, and I believe too, that nobody should be jealos of this and
to one another. If we find a new shell, we gladly would like to name
it "tapsii" after our very very nice and much beloved cat "Tapsi", which in English means to "walk clumsily". Our cat passed away some years before, she get not very old (13 years) and we are weeping for her again when we are remembering the days with her. We let her burn and keep the urn ar home. So why should a shells not named after a nice cat.
with best nomenclature greetings to al and cats, which should give
her names in future to descriptions.l
yours Helmut from Innsbruck
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
 
----------
> Andrew, Interesting topic but , as you said ,"let me emphasize that this is
> a very bad way to
> >name a species." is it any better to name a species after yourself? in
> other words , Conus Markbethkei? I always thought it would be rather
> humbling to name a shell after someone who has contributed greatly to
> conchology.
> Mark & Peta  Bethke
> Hollywood, Florida
>
>
> >Thanks, Paul. Before the cat-lovers out there get too excited about naming
> >cones after their cats, let me emphasize that this is a very bad way to
> >name a species. If you love both, then name your cat after a cone, not the
> >other way around. Believe me, the joke wears off after the first century.
> >
> >Andrew K. Rindsberg
> >Geological Survey of Alabama
> >
>