Nutty Nomenclature
All species of organism are given their own specific name by the taxonomist who first describes them. Every now and again the taxonomists allow themselves to have a little bit of fun. This is our guide to some more mischievously named species.
Name: Orsonwelles sp.
Don’t get it? Think Citizen Kane and the Thirty Nine Steps.
What is it? Orsonwelles is a genus comprising thirteen species of spider. Brilliantly each species is named after a film with which Orson Welles was associated.
Where are they found? The Hawaiian archipelago.
When was it first named? The spiders were first described in 1900, but didn't receive their new genus name until 2002.
Who deserves the credit? Gustavo Hormiga - Associate Professor of Biology at George Washington University
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Is there a picture? There sure is - this is Orsonwelles othello. He looks quite a lot like most of the other twelve species. Click on the picture to enlarge or take the Species Challenge.Coming soon in Nutty Nomenclature: Pieza rhea and Heerz lukenatcha.
More regulars:
Monday: Phunny Phobias
Wednesday: Doctor Doctor
Thursday: Peculiar Periodicals
Friday: End of week timewasters
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