The bugs named after Hu Ge and Gu Tianle are on fire! Netizen: Can new species be named at will? That's what the experts say

A bug was on fire because of Hu Ge and Gu Tianle. Recently, in an article published in the World Ecology Journal, a new species of the family Plifics found in Sichuan Province was officially named Nemoura hugekootinlokorum Wang & Meng, sp. nov.) after hu ge and gu tianle.

"Bugs have become handsome!" While frantically showing love to the two handsome men, some people asked: Can the discoverer of the new species be named at will?

In this regard, Zhao Li, director of the Chengdu Huaxi Entomological Museum, said that according to international practice, the discoverer has the right to name the new species, and its name can be taken almost casually, and even some people use their girlfriends to name the new species they found.

Animals, but what about plants? Plant research experts from the Sichuan Forestry and Grassland Bureau said that the naming requirements for new plant species are also roughly the same as for new animal species.

The new name consists of 3 words, the second word can be taken at will

"The names of new species of animals can generally be named by the discoverer." Zhao Li said that according to internationally recognized rules, the naming of new species must use uniform Latin. This Latin name consists of 3 words.

The first word is the genus name. This is internationally unified, which taxon the new species belongs to, it must use the genus name of this taxon, must be taken according to the scientific classification basis, can not be changed arbitrarily.

The second word is the species name, which can be taken by the name of various things, such as the shape of this new species, which is very broad and almost arbitrary.

For example, Zhao Li said that there is a butterfly called the bird wing butterfly, which was first shot down by the British navy with a gun while sailing in the Pacific Ocean and brought back to Britain. Because this butterfly is very beautiful and gorgeous, British zoologists named it "Queen Victoria Bird Wing Butterfly" after the Queen of England at that time. Later, another rich man caught another kind of butterfly and named it after his girlfriend.

"In foreign countries, many scholars like to name new species by the names of relatives and friends." Zhao Li said, "I am accustomed to naming the characteristics and discoveries of the new species, for example, we found a stick insect in China, which is currently the longest insect species in the world, and named it the Chinese giant bamboo stick insect." I have also named a butterfly found in Sichuan after the word "Shun" in 'Yao Shun Yu' before. ”

The three words 笫 three words are the last name of the person who published the name.

According to the data, the systematic naming of animals began with the naturalist Linnaeus, who published the tenth edition of Natural Systems in 1758. The book for the first time proposed to transplant the author's previous system of plant classification and naming to the animal kingdom, and to systematically name animals in the form of Latin genus names + species names, which was gradually accepted by the academic community and became a common academic naming method for all living things.

"Since there is no third word, and the first two words alone can distinguish between different species, the third word is omitted in many places, only in formal articles." The third word actually mainly reflects the respect for the namer. Zhao Li said that the third word of the species, for example, "Hugu fork 襀", is actually the sum of the surnames of the two authors, "Wang" and "Meng".

The name of the new species must be in Latin, and the specific format is specified

Including the naming of the new species, the reporter found that almost all the naming of new species of animals and plants is expressed in Latin.

According to a number of animal and plant research experts, according to the International Zoological Naming Convention, the publication of new species must adopt the scientific name of Latin, and it is not possible to use the native language, English and French. This provision was first advocated by the international zoological nomenclature code, and it will not be internationally recognized if it is not observed.

This is because Latin is the most stable writing system in the world. Latin, as an ancient language, has rarely been spoken by a country. First, it is very stable, and there will be almost no more changes and adjustments; second, there is no language and writing discrimination (not representing any country), which is acceptable to everyone.

Of course, a Latin name can be translated into many versions of the name in different countries and in different languages, and can be used in a certain region, but only Latin is recognized internationally.

"The naming of new plant species follows the principle of 'one name and one thing'." Long Tinglun, a senior engineer at the Provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau, said that the most recent international botanical congress held in Shenzhen clarified special naming rules. Similarly, the International Zoological Nomenclature Statute was discussed by international experts and revised in due course.

In addition, the relevant statutes also impose strict requirements on the spelling rules of new Latin names. For example, the name "Nemoura hugekootinlokorum Wang & Meng, sp. nov.". According to the paper, the new species is named after the pinyin "Hu Ge" of Mr. Hu Ge's name, the pinyin "Koo Tin-lok" of Mr. Gu Tianle's name, and the Latinized suffix "-orum". Following Article 31.1.2 of the International Statute on Zoological Nomenclature (4th Edition), the specific name is treated as noun in the genitive plural case.

Article 31.1.2 translates as follows: "If a class group name is an all-case noun directly formed from a modern personal name, if the person's name is a male name, add '-i' to the stem of the name; if it is shared by multiple men or one man (multiple men) and one woman (multiple women), '-orum' is added; if it is a female, add '-ae'; if it is pluralistic, add '-arum'." The stem of such names is determined by the actions of the original namer at the time of the formation of possessives.".

As social development has changed, the way new species are named publicly has also changed. Zhao Li introduced that in the past, the publication and naming of new species required that they must appear in paper documents, and need to copy more than 1,000 copies, stored in larger museums and libraries for people to query. Nowadays, according to the convention, publications in international authoritative online magazines will basically be recognized. (Wang Daiqiang, Wang Chengdong)

Column Editor-in-Chief: Zhao Hanlu Text Editor: Song Hui Title Image Source: Figureworm Creative Image Editor: Yong Kai

Source: Author: Chuanguan News