Common Name Selection in the Internet Age: A Crazy Case Study

Abstract

As increasing numbers of previously obscure species enter the public eye, how do we choose what common name to give them? In the past, common names used by the public had well-known etymologies dating back decades or centuries. Recently, common names have been created de novo for field guides or other public ventures (often under the liberal influence of alcohol, or so the stories go). However, we have now entered the Internet Age, and the World Wide Web offers added challenges and opportunities for those who wish to designate official common names. Below is a case study of Nylanderia fulva (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), which has recently been given the common name “tawny crazy ant” by the Entomological Society of America (ESA 2013), but was previously known as the “Rasberry crazy ant.” Nylanderia fulva was first definitively identified in the United States by Gotzek et al. (2012). That premiere publication provides a common name and etymology: “Despite widespread attention, this invasive species has not been clearly identified. Lacking a proper species name, it [N. fulva] became known as the Rasberry Crazy Ant (RCA) for its discoverer, exterminator Tom Rasberry” (Gotzek et al. 2012). Presumably, a common name is meant to facilitate acquisition and dissemination of accurate and precise information. Common names accomplish this task by being more palatable to the public—easier to say and remember. In the case of N. fulva, the reason given for the necessity of a new common name (“tawny crazy ant”) was twofold, the previous name was “uninformative” and, the authors stated, “It is imperative to designate an official common name for N. fulva to curtail any additional confusion caused by the continued use of the aforementioned unofficial common names associated with this species or with N. pubens” (Oi and Gotzek 2012). In anticipation of the future creation of a new common name for N. fulva, an informal comparison of the names “Rasberry crazy ant” and “tawny crazy ant” was performed on 13 February 2013.