From Aa to Zyzzyxdonta – Taxonomy can be fun!! Brian Goodwin From Aa to Zyzzyxdonta • The shortest allowable scientific name is one of 2 letters. • Alphabetically, therefore, Aa – which is either a snail or an orchid – comes first. • Immediately following it is Aaadonta, while one of the last names alphabetically is Zyzzyxdonta, another endodontoid snail. • Zyzzyxdonta has characters the extreme opposite of Aaadonta! An early interest in animals • First pair of binoculars • Discover birds! The scientific name for genera in the Thrush family is Turdus!!! Abra cadabra became Theora cadabra which became Theora mesopotamica Agra cadabra Agra vate Agra vation Agra phobia •Celebrities •Puns Charles Darwin David Attenborough Agra beegees Agra katewinsletae Agra schwarzeneggeri Anomphalus jaggerius Jaggermeryx Scaptia beyonceae A genus of ferns called Gaga Manfred Parth, a German conchologist, named two new species of Bursidae after his two children – Cristina and Luca Bufonaria cristinae Bursa lucaensis Bursa borisbeckeri I dedicate the new species to Boris Becker, in my view the greatest individual athlete of all time. Paronomasia, is a form of word play that suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar- sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. Puns Paronomasia, is a form of word play that suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar- sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. Apophyllus now Eubetia bigaulae You betcha, by golly! In 2002 Neal Evanhuis described 11 new species of small, brown furry flies. He called the genus Pieza Pieza species • Pieza rhea • Pieza pi • Pieza kake • Pieza deresistans Vampyroteuthis infernalis translates as: “Vampire squid from hell” Nilgai or Blue Bull In 1766 Peter Simon Pallas described Antilope tragocamelus. In 1816 de Blainville added some bovid genera and it became Boselaphus tragocamelus. Boselaphus tragocamelus translates as: “Ox-deer- goat-camel” Sea slug – Phyllidia polkadotsa The End .