WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Otherwise known as the Bassler’s poison frog, the pleasing poison frog is undoubtably an attractive amphibian. Highly toxic, but attractive. Just make sure to wear gloves if you want to look closer, otherwise I figure you won’t feel so pleased.

Not to be confused with the sadly extinct confused moth (Helicoverpa confusa), The Confused was named thanks to how easily confused The Confused can be with a congener known as the dusky brocade (Apamea remissa). Confused?

Mystery solved.

I know what you’re going to say, but the name predicted antwren actually makes a lot more sense than you think. In 1988, an unidentified species of antbird was observed in the Urucu River basin, Amazonas, Brazil. The bird appeared to be a spot-backed antwren (Herpsilochmus dorsimaculatus), but as the species' known range did not extend to the area, another Herpsilochmus as yet undescribed was thought to be present. And lo, in 1999, the bird was sighted again nearby and later described as a congener to the spot-backed. The mystery was solved, but whether they had no better name ideas or just wanted to preserve their gotcha! moment for posterity, we may never know.

It’s fashion.

Enter, @zoonomatology! Now I can Tweet about twites.

Don’t let the barbel deceive you (sorry, goatee), the forkbeard was actually named for its bifid pelvic fins situated near the ventral side of the fish’s head. Like a beard, if you will. A forkbeard. It’s not actually the only forkbeard out there though, as P. phycis shares its genus with P. blennoides: the greater forkbeard, or sweaty betty. I should have saved that one for another post.

Hoariness (meaning grey or white, especially with age, after the bird’s silvery plumage) may be exclusive to H. lugens, but the puffiness is shared. There are several other pufflegs spanning across two genera, and while the hoary puffleg will always be my ultimate puffleg, I don’t think I’d want to live in a world where the glowing puffleg (Eriocnemis vestitus) wasn’t called the glowing puffleg. 

Ridiculous as it sounds, ‘rufous-rumped foliage-gleaner’ sums up this little bird perfectly. Like the other foliage-gleaners (of which there are over 30 species spanning across 6 genera), the rufous-rumped was named for its foraging behaviour which typically involves picking (gleaning) arthropods from plant material. There are several foliage-gleaners with equally glorious vernaculars, such as the henna-hooded and slaty-winged foliage-gleaners, but the rufous-rumped has a red bottom. So there.

More graciously known as the Chilean pine, the story behind the monkey puzzle begins at Pencarrow Gardens, Cornwall. Around 50 years after the tree was introduced to Britain by the botanist Archibald Menzies in 1975, a man named Charles Austin commented after seeing a specimen at Pencarrow that “It would puzzle a monkey to climb that.” He really should have picked another animal, because the name’s here to stay despite the fact that Chile has no monkeys!

Better known as the hellbender, the snot otter ain’t no mustelid. Also recognised as the mud dog, lasagna lizard, grampus and several more delightful vernaculars, this sizeable salamander has only its appearance to blame (most notably the thick, slimy folds of skin running down the lateral sides of the animal). I think they’re adorable.

Zoonomatology officially has 1,000 followers! Thank you everyone for your support and to the mad geniuses who gave us these names. Here’s looking to 2,000!

The devilishly handsome lappet-faced vulture (don’t argue with me) or Nubian vulture was named for the two flaps of skin, known as lappets, that decorate either side of the bird’s head and neck. They’re also endangered like many vulture species, so show them some love!

Now, I couldn’t tell you if the laughing dove has a much of a sense of humour, but I can tell you that the name was inspired by their call, sounding rather like a person giggling. In aviculture, they are more often referred to as Senegal doves as the multiple dove species are known to produce sounds resembling human laughter (most notably the African collared dove and its domesticated form, the Barbary dove).

I’m not the biggest fan of spiders (to my shame), but I just can’t help but smile at the happy face spider. Endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago, these cheerful arachnids were named for the markings on their abdomens, bearing semblance to a smiling human face. The name can be a bit misleading though as the species has several morphs across the archipelago, some of which look very different to their namesake.

The sausage (or cucumber, whichever you prefer) tree hardly needs an explanation but if you’re still unsure, just have a look at what’s hanging up there. They are pendulous fruit shaped like sausages (some having been recorded at weighing over six kilograms and having a length of two feet)! Pretty sure they don’t taste like them though.