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Organism names can be confusing because there are millions of species and so many of the named organisms have published common and scientific names as well as local common names. Further, these organisms may have one or more published common or scientific names, and their common names may be in more than one language. For example, in regard to English names alone, the butterfly Phyciodes tharos tharos has 12 published common names (Miller 1992, 87). Its three other subspecies have a total of eight common names. The butterfly Coenonympha tullia tullia has five published common names, and its 21 subspecies have a total of 46 common names (Miller 1992, 104-105). Some scientific groups have standardized many common names. For example, the Entomological Society of America (ESA) compiles a

standardized list for common names of insects (Committee on Common Names of Insects 1982). According to the ESA, words of insect common names are not capitalized unless they start a sentence or phrase in a table or are proper nouns: e.g., some butterflies are viceroy, Florida purple-wing, hackberry butterfly, tawny emperor, Creole pearly-eye, and Schaus’ Swallowtail. Miller (1992) indicated preferred common names for North American butterflies; however, she capitalized all separate parts of common names of butterflies: e.g., Arctic Ringlet, McIsacc’s Ringlet, Ochraceous Quaker, and Small Ringlet. Other books and other publications use Miller’s style, and I do as well throughout this book. Researchers have not yet given most living organisms common and scientific names. Many species are going extinct before scientists discover them during the current Human-caused mass extinction; thus, unfortunately, these undiscovered species will never be named, let alone be known to science. scientific name□n. A formal Latin or Latinized name of a taxon; contrasted with common name (Lincoln et al. 1985). cf. 2group (table for taxonomic names) Comments: Scientific names are the major names that scientists use for designating taxa in their publications and are understood by many scientists worldwide. Although many species have more than one scientific name, scientific names are generally more stable than common ones (Justice and Bell 1968, xii). Current researchers publish scientific names in English letters regardless of the principal language of a publication. The Code of Botanical Nomenclature and the Code of Zoological Nomenclature fix the rules for coining, publishing, and revising scientific names, but these Codes do not fix rules for common names. Workers have heated arguments about coinage of new common names and which already coined common names should be used for a particular taxon (Miller 1992, 3). A full subspecific name is comprised of a generic name, a specific name (= specific epithet), subspecific name, taxonomic author(s), and year that a taxon is formally described in a publication: Anartia jatrophae guantanamo Munroe 1942 (= the White Peacock, a butterfly). A full specific name is comprised of the same parts except that it lacks a subspecific name: Calephelis borealis (Grote and Robinson) 1866 (the Northern Metalmark, a butterfly) and Calgopogon pulchellus (Salisb.) R. Br. (the Grass Pink, an orchid).