What’s in a Spider Name with Stefano Mammola

When a scientist comes on the podcast, we always ask them how they named their new species. It’s a privilege that comes with a species description, and we’ve seen firsthand how different that answer can be. For some it’s a straightforward geographic name, for others it’s about morphology, and still others name after collectors, celebrities, or loved ones. Dr. Stefano Mammola wants to know why.

Beginning in 2020 he and a team of researchers from all over the world analyzed 48,464 etymologies across nearly 300 years to examine naming trends in spider taxonomy to answer the question, “what’s in a spider name?” They cite many different projects (including this podcast!) and, as Stefano shares in this interview, come across some real surprises along the way.

Stefano Mammola’s paper “Taxonomic practice, creativity, and fashion: What’s in a spider name?” is in the February 13th issue of the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac097

A transcript of this conversation can be found here: Transcript - Stefano Mammola 

Episode image courtesy of Stefano Mammola

Check out Stefano’s website: https://publications.cnr.it/authors/stefano.mammola

And his twitter: @stefanomammola1

Find this data and more on the World Spider Catalog: https://wsc.nmbe.ch/