Understanding Scientific Fish Names

[lmw80]

I found this very informative and very interesting article on freshwater scientific fish names and understanding them. I thought other people might be interested as well:

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/fishspecies/a/fishnames.htm

 

[Fruitbat]

Lori...

Bravo to you! As a trained biologist and biochemist I used to chafe at the use of common names for animals and plants. I've mellowed a lot in my old age and am no longer a stickler for 'scientific names'. The great advantage to using the Genus/species names when communicating about organisms is that the 'scientific' names are the same no matter your nationality, location, or culture.

I try, as often as possible, to include the 'scientific' names of fish/plants/etc. in my posts on this forum. It is a good habit to get into if you don't already do it. I'll grant you that even scientific names are occasionally changed and sometimes more than one have come into common usage.

For example: The South American 'dwarf cichlid' commonly called the 'Ram' was, for the longest time called Apistogramma ramirezi. After a relatively recent revision of the Cichlids, I've now seen the same fish referred to as Mikrogeophagus ramirezi or even Microgeophagus ramirezi. These types of revisions often cause confusion but, all-in-all, 'scientific' names are reasonably stable.

A prime example of the confusion that can be caused by using common names is the 'Mountain Lion', Felis concolor. It is known as (and this is not an exhaustive list): mountain lion, cougar, puma, catamount, deer tiger, Mexican lion, mountain screamer, panther and Florida panther. Of course these are only the more common ENGLISH names...this poor cat has its own additional group of names in other languages. If then, I refer in a post to a 'panther', what am I talking about? Is it Felis concolor or is it the African/Asian leopard, Panthera pardus which is commonly called the panther, especially in its melanistic (black) form.

It is well worth your while as a serious aquarist to get familiar with the Genus/species names of your fish/invertebrates/plants, if nothing else for your own gratification! Besides....you'll always sound smarter when you spout off all that Greek and Latin stuff!!! LOL!

 

[Toirtis]

Lori...

Bravo to you! As a trained biologist and biochemist I used to chafe at the use of common names for animals and plants.

As a zoologist, I still do.

The great advantage to using the Genus/species names when communicating about organisms is that the 'scientific' names are the same no matter your nationality, location, or culture.

Precisely why I prefer the use of taxa over common names.

I'll grant you that even scientific names are occasionally changed and sometimes more than one have come into common usage.

True...unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), this is especially true of South-American catfishes and Tanganyikan cichlids just now...and it can prove a bit confusing.

A prime example of the confusion that can be caused by using common names is the 'Mountain Lion', Felis concolor. It is known as (and this is not an exhaustive list): mountain lion, cougar, puma, catamount, deer tiger, Mexican lion, mountain screamer, panther and Florida panther.

Or, in the case of a common aquarium fish, the more common small Doradids, Platydoras costatus, Agamyxis pectinifrons, and Acanthodoras spiniosissimus, which are alternatively known as 'raphael', 'talking', 'doradid', and 'humbug' catfish, depending on your location.

 

[Fruitbat]

Toirtis...a person after my own heart!

Polypterid/Primitive Fish/Catfish fanatic?? Leave out the catfish and I'm right there with you. In the past I have kept Polypterus senegalus senegalus, P. delhezi, P. ornatipinnis, P. palmas, P. retropinnis and P. weeksi. Toss in the rope fish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus), the African mud fish (Phractolaemus ansorgii), the bowfin (Amia calva), and an African snakehead (Parachanna obscura).

Unfortunately that was many years ago and I haven't seen Phractolaemus ansorgii available since that time. Of course, snakeheads are now prohibited in the United States...besides...I no longer have a tank big enough to hold one. Alas...the vagaries of time!

 

[madasafish]

Great idea Lori. Thanks for posting that!

I'd like to add that the article doesn't mention a couple of things:

A) "Kingdom" is in the Linnean System (created by Carl Linnaeus in the 18th Century) the highest taxon (level of classification) of all organisms. It goes above "Phyllum" on the chart to the right of the linked page. Each of the 5 kingdoms includes a very different group of organisms: 1) "Animalia" includes humans, apes, fish, starfish (Echinoderms), birds, even nematodes and sponges. 2) "Plantae" contains most of the species we consider "plants" such as ferns, trees, cacti, anacharis, java swords and tiger lotus . 3) "Fungi" contains molds, yeast, mushrooms-many of the things we don't like! (Thought I *love* mushrooms.) 4) *Protistae* (Protists) are mostly unicellular, simple organisms such as some algaes, amoebi, and paramecia. Finally, 5) "Monera" includes our favorites: bacteria! and algae! So, you see, it's kind of important to include the different kingdoms when explaining fish keeping since so many of the things we aquatic ppl deal with are in different kingdoms (e.g. bacteria, algae, yeast, plants).

B) The phylum "Chordata" includes another pretty important bunch of organisms, too! Not just birds. We're in it--we've got spines! So do elephants, panthers, mice, spiny eels, whales and a lot of other animals.

C) A good way to remember the taxonomic system is to figure out a mnemonic (memory) devise to remember the order of the groups: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. I always think "Kings Play Chess On Fine Grained Sand." That's a popular one to use to remember the order. I'm sure you can come up with another one, like "Kribensis Play Cheerfully On Fine Grained Sand" or "Krabappal Plunders Cafeteria to Feed Geeky Skinner" (Simpsons reference...). Whatever floats your boat.

I totally agree that the best way to memorize these names is to start out with memorizing your own fishes' names. I started out with Colisa lalia (Dwarf gourami) and have memorized all my fish and inverts' Latin names since. I even write down the common names and (on the reverse side of the paper) the Latin names of some of the most popular fish in the trade and try to memorize a couple a day. Works for me.

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P.S. The real sticklers out there will remind you that a species name is actually the Genus (Colisa) plus the epithet (lalia). The word "lalia" itself is not the animal's species. Linnaeus specifically designated species names as "binomial," or containing two names so that any species name mentioned would have a context. For example, if you said "columnaris" you could be referring to the epithet of Flexibacter columnaris (a deadly fish bacterium) or Fouquieria columnaris, my favorite deser plant, the Boojum.

Hope this is helpful, not knowitallish.

 

[madasafish]

Hehe. I'm also a big fan of "primitive fish." Had a Polypterus senegalus senegalus once and a Polypterus senegalus meridionalis (was supposed to be a P. palmas). Loved them both. I really want to get some of those neat stone fish.

With a zoologist and a biologist/biochemist on this thread, I'm sure a couple of mistakes in my post will come out!! We'll see....

 

[Fruitbat]

Actually madasafish....the only 'mistake' is that the second name in the binomial IS the species name. Thus in Colisa lalia, Colisa is the generic (Genus) and lalia is the specific (species). The entire binomial is Colisa lalia, which includes both the Genus and the species.

Please note that the Generic name is always capitalized and the specific name is never capitalized, even if it is a proper name. So, for example, Paracheirodon axelrodi is the correct way to type the binomial for the Cardinal Tetra, even though it was named in honor of Dr. Herbert Axelrod.

We can also toss out the concept of subspecies here, I suppose. Occasionally there are enough differences between two very similar organisms to warrant classifying them differently, but not into different species. In such a case most taxonomists will employ the subspecies. For example, Polypterus palmas palmas and Polypterus palmas polli are both included within the same species (palmas) but have enough differences to warrant subspecific status.

Another less 'official' designation is the variety. Often used to describe various color morphs or growth forms...aquarists often run into the variety designation. For example, Cryptocoryne wendtii occurs in a large number of varieties. Cryptocoryne wendtii 'bronze', Cryptocoryne wendtii 'brown', Cryptocoryne wendtii 'red' are all varieties of the same plant. There is no real difference between the three...though they certainly LOOK different. The same thing also frequently shows up in color morphs of fish. Tropheus duboisi, a Rift Lake cichlid is widely known to have dozens of color varieties.

 

[madasafish]

Yeah, Friutbat, that's a good point that most ppl aren't aware of Genus is always capitalized, and species isn't.

OK, that's strange. I thought that the species name was, in fact, only the binomial species name. My Biosphere 2 biologist buddies mis-explained to me when I spent some time there! How about this? It's true that when you talk about a Binomial species name, the "lalia" part of the specie name "Colisa lalia" is the epithet, right?? But when you place "lalia" after Animalia Chordata Vertebrata Actinopterygii Perciformes Osphronemidae (subfamily: Trichogastrinae) Colisa lalia (some subcategories missing, sorry) "lalia" is the species name? Is that right?

 

[Fruitbat]

Madasafish...

The term 'epithet' is simply a designation applied to the specific name. In Colisa lalia the Colisa part is the Genus and lalia is called the specific epithet (or species designation depending on which professor you listen to).

No big deal, actually. The key is to get folks to understand the concept of binomial (2 name) nomenclature.

 

[Toirtis]

Toirtis...a person after my own heart!

Polypterid/Primitive Fish/Catfish fanatic?? Leave out the catfish and I'm right there with you. In the past I have kept Polypterus senegalus senegalus, P. delhezi, P. ornatipinnis, P. palmas, P. retropinnis and P. weeksi. Toss in the rope fish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus), the African mud fish (Phractolaemus ansorgii), the bowfin (Amia calva), and an African snakehead (Parachanna obscura).

My current livestock of primitive fishes includes:
Polypterus senegalus senegalus
P. ornatipinnis
P. palmas polli
P. retropinnis retropinnis
P. r. loweii
P. delhezi
P. endlcheri endlicheri
P. e. congicus
P. bichir lapradei
Erpetoicthys calibaricus
Protopterus annectans annectans

I am after a bowfin (and, of course, all the bichirs that I do not currently have), but at this point would need to scramble to house one. Phractolaemus ansorgii would be greatly welcome, too....but I have yet to see one offered locally (or otherwise).

 

[Fruitbat]

VERY impressive collection!!! What size tank are you keeping your P. enderlichi in?? I understand they get to be monsters!!

My bowfin was a wild-caught specimen from East Texas. I netted him as a juvenile and kept him until he reached about 30cm. He co-existed quite happily with the snakehead for years!

 

[Toirtis]

VERY impressive collection!!! What size tank are you keeping your P. enderlichi in?? I understand they get to be

Both P. endlicheri sp are in 90s right now, but the P.e. endlicheri will be moving to a 275 early this coming year, with the P. e. congicus to follow soon after.

 

[madasafish]

Wow, Toirtis. I sit here, mouth agape. Your selection is mind-boggling. Do you have a gallery of your fish anywhere?

Wow............

P.S. Stick around on the site! We could really use your knowledge!

 

[Toirtis]

Sorry, no gallery, but I do have a very few almost decent photos (I am a terrible photographer, and do not own a digital camera yet) that I will try to host somewhere in the near future.