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
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Witches’ whiskers lichen
aka: Usnea florida
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Sea piglet shrimp
aka: Arrhis phyllonyx
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Zipper-back hoverfly
aka: Chrysotoxum elegans
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Gangly lancer sea spider
aka: Nymphon gracile
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Photo credits (top to bottom): Jens H. Petersen/MycoKey, Robin Crump, Wojciech Moskal, Alvesgaspar, World Register of Marine Species
