It’s tough to love a species with an unpronounceable name. The Guardian decided to solve this problem through crowd-sourcing, asking readers to give common names to threatened or endangered species that previously had only a Latinate moniker. An expert panel of judges recently chose winners for the second annual “Name a Species” competition. Here’s a sampling of new, creative names from the 2010 and 2011 contests.
Hotlips fungus
aka: Octospora humosa
––––––––––––
Witches’ whiskers lichen
aka: Usnea florida
––––––––––––
Sea piglet shrimp
aka: Arrhis phyllonyx
––––––––––––
Zipper-back hoverfly
aka: Chrysotoxum elegans
––––––––––––
Gangly lancer sea spider
aka: Nymphon gracile
––––––––––––
Photo credits (top to bottom): Jens H. Petersen/MycoKey, Robin Crump, Wojciech Moskal, Alvesgaspar, World Register of Marine Species