The Art of Naming

Exploring scientific naming as a joyful and creative act—from a lizard named after Jim Morrison to the Ampulex dementor wasps inspired by Harry Potter!

Tyrannosaurus rex. Homo sapiens. Heteropoda davidbowie. There are about 1.8 million discovered and named plant and animal species, and millions more still to be discovered. Naming is the necessary next step after discovery; it is through the naming of species that we perceive and understand nature. In this entertaining and illuminating book, Michael Ohl explains the process, with examples, anecdotes, and a wildly varied cast of characters.

The rules for scientific naming—in standard binomial nomenclature, the generic name followed by specific name—go back to Linnaeus, but they are open to idiosyncrasy and individual expression:

• A lizard is designated Barbaturex morrisoni in honor of the Doors’ Jim Morrison, the Lizard King
• A member of the horsefly family is Scaptia beyonceae
• A wasp species, named by Ohl himself, is Ampulex dementor, after Harry Potter dementors

Scientific names have also been deployed by scientists to insult other scientists, to make political statements, and as expressions of romantic love: “I shall name this beetle after my beloved wife!”

The Art of Naming takes us on a surprising and fascinating journey, in the footsteps of the discoverers of species and the authors of names, into the nooks and crannies and drawers and cabinets of museums, and through the natural world of named and not-yet-named species.