I hate "common" names!

[velvetelvis]

I like scientific names because I like knowing precisely which animal I'm dealing with. IMO, it's highly useful to be able to look at a fish that's being offered as a "tiger watchman goby" at some site, see that the genus name is Valenciennea, not Cryptocentrus, and realize that this is actually a sand-shifting goby, not a "watchman" shrimp goby. They're two completely different fishes with different habits, but you wouldn't know it by looking at their common names.

I got used to learning scientific names years ago when I kept African cichlids and rainbowfish. It seems to be a hobby among scientists to re-classify Rift Lake cichlids, and new rainbowfish species without common names are being discovered all the time, so if you were into them you pretty much had to learn scientific names in self-defense. I am no intellectual, so if I can do it, anybody can. It really isn't that hard!

There seems to be this reverse elitism where people think scientific names are for eggheads and pretentious types, but IMO, people who scorn scientific names because they think they're annoying and complicated and too hard to learn aren't giving themselves enough credit for their good brains. Knowledge is a good thing. It doesn't make you a snob--it makes you well-informed.

There's nothing wrong with common names. I use them frequently--I'll talk about my new toadstool coral, not my Sarcophyton ehrenbergi, or mention my clown gobies instead of my Gobiodon atrangulatus. It is a mistake, however, to rely on them exclusively. Knowing the scientific names (and no, I don't know how to pronounce most of them either!) of animals you're interested in--or even those you might never plan on keeping--can help you make smarter, more informed decisions. That saves you money and aggravation.

 

[iamwhatiam52]

Common names are not so bad, but when someone I set up a tank for asked for a Nemo and a Dory, well that crossed the line!

 

[namxas]

Common names are not so bad, but when someone I set up a tank for asked for a Nemo and a Dory, well that crossed the line!

that's when you break the tank down and walk away with your sense of values intact. :rolleye1:

 

[KafudaFish]

As it has already been pointed out, scientific names > common names. There is only one species name but there can be multiple common names and that is based on location. I have talked to people about native freshwater fish and they will throw out some really really off the wall name that only a local fisherman would know but eventually I could figure out the species name of the fish. Does it make me a "œbetter" fish geek if I know the species name compared to the guy that is catching SMB off a knobby head? Not really because eventually I know he is using a central stone roller for bait. For the scientific guys that would be Campostoma anomalum.

Also when a person learns a scientific name he or she will also learn the common one and often the common name is used out doing field work. If we are collecting fish for stream assessments no one is going to yell Campostoma, Campostoma, Cottus, Etheostoma rufilineatum and so on.

 

[michealprater]

I prefer to try to learn and use both. Common names are great descriptions for non-aquarists, and scientific names are great to avoid confusion when on forums, buying or selling. The only thing I dont like about scientific names is sounding like an idiot when I mispronounce it!

 

[Creetin]

As it has already been pointed out, scientific names > common names. There is only one species name but there can be multiple common names and that is based on location. I have talked to people about native freshwater fish and they will throw out some really really off the wall name that only a local fisherman would know but eventually I could figure out the species name of the fish. Does it make me a “better” fish geek if I know the species name compared to the guy that is catching SMB off a knobby head? Not really because eventually I know he is using a central stone roller for bait. For the scientific guys that would be Campostoma anomalum.

Also when a person learns a scientific name he or she will also learn the common one and often the common name is used out doing field work. If we are collecting fish for stream assessments no one is going to yell Campostoma, Campostoma, Cottus, Etheostoma rufilineatum and so on.

Great points!!

 

[KafudaFish]

I prefer to try to learn and use both. Common names are great descriptions for non-aquarists, and scientific names are great to avoid confusion when on forums, buying or selling. The only thing I dont like about scientific names is sounding like an idiot when I mispronounce it!

Honestly if you get a group of scientists together there will be more than one way to say something.

Right now I am reading my 5 yo a book on dinosaurs and all of the names are the genera names. I will read it out loud 4 or 5 times because I want to be correct yet I feel like my tongue is tied to my teeth. All she says is, "Daddy read some more.":lmao:

Am I correct? I don't know I don't have a paleontologist sitting next to me saying no no it is a hard C.

 

[AquaticFins]

I'd prefer to use scientific names with two exceptions. The first is when guests come over, and they ask "what fish is that blue one over there?!".. I'm going to reply with the common name. I'd get very strange looks if I replied with the scientific :lol:

The second is in certain circumstances where there is one scientific name for a number of different morphs. Ex: Black and White clowns have the same scientific name as the Orange variety... (This is a rare occurrence though).. My 1/2 cent.

I'm in complete agreement with you on the first part.

As to the second, scientific nomenclature still has you covered!

Naturally occuring mutations and variations that are passed on to offspring get the tag "var." after them. Amphiprion ocellaris var. would be a black clown.

Man-made or created forms (cultivars) receive the tag "cv." The cultivar name enclosed in single quotes is also usually accepted. Amphiprion ocellaris cv. Picasso or Amphiprion ocellaris 'Picasso' are examples.

If multiple natural variations are recognised, they're listed. I can't think of a saltwater fish example, so I'll use a freshwater aquarium plant. Anubias barteri is the "base" plant. A smaller, dwarf version is found in Victoria, Cameroon - Anubias barteri var. nana. A nursery in Singapore created a variety with even smaller leaves - Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite' or Anubias barteri var. nana cv. Petite.

A mouthful, yes, but it works.

 

[Moos3]

Yeah? Wait until you have siblings and nephews referring to your xenia as "Clap grass" or your mushrooms as "buttholes"...you pine for some normality.

 

[michealprater]

Yeah? Wait until you have siblings and nephews referring to your xenia as "Clap grass" or your mushrooms as "buttholes"...you pine for some normality.

Omg! I don't care who you are...... That's funny!