Dear Conchlers,
 
Helmut is right; the rules of nomenclature do include much besides Latin
grammar: how to select and recognize type specimens, type species, and type
genera; how to determine which of two homonyms or synonyms is valid; what
constitutes publication, etc., etc. What could I have been thinking of?
 
There are other methods of naming genera and species in addition to those
that have already been discussed. Early authors, such as Linnaeus, borrowed
names from Greek and Roman mythology. Venus is a bivalve, but Aphrodita is
a worm (a very beautiful worm, but still a worm). In at least one case
(butterflies), he gave a whole family of organisms names of related
mythological characters. This was not only done to charm and amuse, but as
an aid to memory. Astronomers did the same for Jupiter's moons and other
celestial objects; Jupiter's moons are the classical god's handmaidens.*
Today, it is hard to find a biologist who knows, say, the names of the
Titans or of Jason's Argonauts, but it was not so hard then. This would be
impossible to do nowadays, because mythology is out of vogue and the best
names have been used already. But if someone were splitting a genus into
subgenera and named them all after characters from a classic such as Lewis
Carroll's Alice books, I certainly would not object.
 
Another method is to honor famous research vessels, such as the Velero, a
ship operated by the University of Southern California. Any other examples?
 
Still another method is to scramble the letters of a related genus to form
an anagram. Can anyone give molluscan examples? And the Code even allows
random combinations of letters, as long as they can be pronounced.
Examples, anyone?
 
Andrew K. Rindsberg
Geological Survey of Alabama
 
P.S. to Helmut: Thanks for the offer, but I think it's better for us to
trade ideas about music than to trade CD's. We can continue this discussion
privately (not on Conch-L).
 
*Well, they started their jobs as maidens: Io, Callisto, Europa, Sinope,
Pasiphae, etc. Ganymede wasn't a maiden, but even the gods act out of
character sometimes.