An eponym, or eponymous epithet, is where a species is named after a person; this may be a renowned zoologist, in the case of fishes usually an ichthyologist, a colleague, a friend, a family member, or a dignitary. Most often, but not always, this is based on a surname. The name is ‘Latinized’ giving it the same gender, case, and tense as the genus name. It can usually be recognised by having either the male genitive endings -i, -ii, (both singular), -orum (plural) or the female genitive ending –ae, (singular), -arum (plural).
Eponyms are not exclusive, more than one person with the same name can be honoured, reference to the ‘authority’ (or author) along with the date of publication can help in determining the identity of the individual being honoured.
In order to be sure that a species was named after a particular person and not someone with the same surname it is necessary to examine the published species description, which can often be difficult to obtain without access to a major scientific library. It can also be very time consuming finding, then reading, multiple descriptions especially in the case of the more common surnames.
This list is a work in progress and is initially concentrating on those persons featured in the “ This Day in History …” sidebar.
Eponym | Species | Common name | Honouree |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | |||
| agassizii | Apistogramma agassizii (Steindachner, 1875) | Agassiz's dwarf cichlid | Louis Agassiz (1807 - 1873), Swiss born US naturalist |
| akihitoi | Priolepis akihitoi Hoese & Larson, 2010 | Emperor reefgoby | Emperor Akihito of Japan |
| Alvinella | Alvinella pompejana Desbruyéres and Laubier, 1980 | Pompeii worm | DSV Alvin, US three-person submersible |
| alvini | Laubierus alvini Aguado & Rouse, 2011 | N/A – Extremophile polychaete | DSV Alvin |
andriashevi | Bathyraja andriashevi Dolganov, 1983 | Little-eyed skate | Anatoly Petrovich Andriyashev (1910 - 2009), Russian marine biologist |
| angasi | Pellasimnia angasi (Reeve, 1865) | Angas’s Volva | George French Angas (1822 - 1886), British born Australian naturalist and painter |
| annandalei | Lepidocephalichthys annandalei Chaudhuri, 1912 | Annandale loach | Nelson Annandale (1876 - 1924), Scottish zoologist |
| apefae | Hallaxa apefae Er. Marcus, 1957 | N/A - dorid nudibranch | Alice Pruvot-Fol (1873 - 1972), French malacologist |
| arnesenae | Haliclona (Gellius) arnesenae (Arndt, 1927) | N/A – demosponge | Emily Arnesen (1867 – 1928), Norwegian zoologist |
| artedi | Coregonus artedi Lesueur, 1818 | Cisco | Peter Artedi (1705 - 1735), Swedish naturalist |
aristotelis | Silurus aristotelis Garman, 1890 | Aristotle's Catfish | Aristotle (384 - 322 BC), Greek philosopher |
| ascanii | Chirolophis ascanii (Walbaum, 1792) | Yarrell's blenny | Peter Ascanius (1723 - 1803), Norwegian naturalist |
| axelrodi | Paracheirodon axelrodi Schultz, 1956 | Cardinal tetra | Herbert R. Axelrod (1927 - ), US tropical fish expert and publisher |
| B | |||
| babai | Hypselodoris babai Gosliner & Behrens, 2000 | Baba's hypselodoris | Kikutaro Baba (1905 - 2001), Japanese malacologist |
| bacescui | Menziesichthys bacescui Nalbant & Mayer, 1971 | N/A – species of Snailfish | Mihai Băcescu (1908 - 1999), Romanian zoologist |
| bairdii | Berardius bairdii Stejneger,1883 | Baird's beaked whale | Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823 - 1887), US naturalist and ichthyologist |
| banksii | Onychoteuthis banksii (Leach, 1817) | Common clubhook squid | Joseph Banks (1743 - 1820), British naturalist |
| barnardi | Psednos barnardi Chernova, 2001 | Blackchin dwarf snailfish | Keppel Harcourt Barnard (1887 - 1964), UK born South African zoologist |
| bartonbeani | Melanostomias bartonbeani Parr, 1927 | Scaleless black dragonfish | Barton Appler Bean (1860 - 1947), US ichthyologist |
| basteri | Thalassarachna basteri (Johnston, 1836) | N/A - marine mite | Job Baster (1711 - 1775), Dutch physician and naturalist |
| batesii | Lycengraulis batesii (Günther, 1868) | Bates' sabretooth anchovy | Henry Walter Bates (1825 - 1892), English naturalist |
| bathamae | Acteonemertes bathamae Pantin, 1961 | N/A - nemertine or ribbon worm | Elizabeth Joan Batham (1917 - 1974), New Zealand marine biologist |
| Baudina | Baudina geographae Gordon, 2009 Baudina naturalistae Gordon, 2009 | N/A - Bryzoans | Nicolas Baudin (1754 - 1803), French explorer |
| Beaglichthys | Beaglichthys macrophthalmus Machida, 1993 | Beagle cusk | HMS Beagle (Darwin's ship) |
| beebei | Lasiognathus beebei Regan & Trewavas, 1932 | N/A - Wolftrap angler | William Beebe (1877 - 1962), US naturalist |
benedeni | Limnomysis benedeni Czerniavsky, 1882 | N/A - mysid shrimp | Pierre-Joseph van Beneden (1809 - 1894), Belgian zoologist |
bennetti | Chaetodon bennetti Cuvier, 1831 | Bluelashed butterflyfish | Edward Turner Bennett (1797 -1836), English zoologist |
| bleekeri | Chrysiptera bleekeri (Fowler & Bean, 1928) | Bleeker's damsel | Pieter Bleeker (1819 - 1878), Dutch ichthyologist |
| blochii | Pimelodus blochii Valenciennes, 1840 | Bloch's catfish | Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723 - 1799), German ichthyologist |
| bobmilleri | Cyprinodon bobmilleri Lozano-Vilano & Contreras-Balderas, 1999 | San Ignacio pupfish | Robert Rush Miller (1916 - 2003), US ichthyologist |
| boecki | Parandania boecki (Stebbing, 1888) | N/A - gammarid | Jonas Axel Boeck (1833 - 1873), Norwegian marine biologist |
| bolini | Lepadichthys bolini Briggs, 1962 | Bolin's clingfish | Rolf Ling Bolin (1901 - 1973), US ichthyologist |
| bonaparte | Notacanthus bonaparte Risso, 1840 | Shortfin spiny eel | Charles Lucien Bonaparte (1803 - 1857), French zoologist |
| bowerbanki | Acanthastrea bowerbanki Milne Edwards & Haime, 1857 | N/A - stony coral | James Scott Bowerbank (1797 - 1877), British naturalist |
| bradyi | Diastylis bradyi Norman, 1879 | N/A - cumacean | George Stewardson Brady (1832 - 1921), British zoologist |
| braueri | Photonectes braueri (Zugmayer, 1913) | Brauer's dragonfish | August Brauer (1863 - 1917), German zoologist |
| briangreenei | Dolomedes briangreenei (Raven, 2016) | Fishing spider | Brian Greene (1963 - ) US theoretical physicist |
| Brooksia | Brooksia Metcalf, 1918 | N/A – genus of salps | William Keith Brooks (1848 - 1908), US zoologist |
| broussonnetii | Mugil broussonnetii Valenciennes, 1836 | Broussonnet's mullet | Pierre Marie Auguste Broussonet (1761 - 1807), French naturalist |
buffhamii | Gonimophyllum buffhamii Batters, 1892 | N/A - parasitic red alga | Thomas Hughes Buffham (1840 - 1896), British phycologist |
| C | |||
| calmani | Periclimenes calmani Tattersall, 1921 | N/A - palaemonid shrimp | William Thomas Calman (1871 - 1952), Scottish zoologist |
challengeri | Polyacanthonotus challengeri (Vaillant, 1888) | Longnose tapirfish | HMS Challenger (Challenger expedition 1872 to 1876) |
| cheesemanii | Lagocephalus cheesemanii (Clarke, 1897) | Cheeseman's Puffer | Thomas Frederic Cheeseman (1846 - 1923), British born New Zealand naturalist |
| clarkae | Enneapterygius clarkae Holleman, 1982 | Barred triplefin | Eugenie Clark (1922 - 2015), US ichthyologist |
clarki | Novodinia clarki (Koehler, 1909) | N/A - Brisingid sea star | Hubert Lyman Clark (1870 - 1947), US zoologist |
clausi | Acartia clausi | N/A - Calanoid copepod | Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Claus (1835 - 1899), German copepodologist |
| copei | Xenodermichthys copei (Gill, 1884) | Bluntsnout smooth-head | Edward Drinker Cope (1840 - 1897), US paleontologist and ichthyologist |
| couchi | Gobius couchi Miller & El-Tawil, 1974 | Couch's goby | Jonathan Couch (1789 - 1870), Cornish ichthyologist |
| D | |||
| Dacosta | Dacosta Gray, 1858 | Genus of bivalves | Emanuel Mendez da Costa (1717 – 1791), English conchologlist |
| danai | Cheirimedon danai Kilgallen & Lowry, 2015 | N/A - gammarid | James Dwight Dana (1813 - 1895), US geologist and naturalist |
| darcythompsoni | Scottoecia darcythompsoni (Scott, 1909) | N/A - ostracod | D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson (1860 - 1948), Scottish zoologist and mathematician |
| darwini | Semicossyphus darwini (Jenyns, 1842) | Galápagos sheephead wrasse | Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882), English naturalist |
| dayi | Pellona dayi Wongratana, 1983 | Day's pellona | Francis Day (1829 - 1889), British naturalist |
| delalandii | Malacoctenus delalandii (Valenciennes, 1836) | Delalande or Brazilian blenny | Pierre Antoine Delalande (1787 - 1823), French naturalist |
| delapiae | Edwardsia delapiae Carlgren & Stephenson, 1928 | N/A - sea anemone | Maude Jane Delap (1866 - 1953), Irish marine biologist |
| desjardinii | Zebrasoma desjardinii (Bennett, 1836) | Indian sail-fin surgeonfish | Julien Desjardins (1799 - 1840), French zoologist |
| dewysea | Phyllopteryx dewysea Stiller, Wilson, & Rouse, 2015 | Ruby seadragon | Mary ‘Dewy’ Lowe, US philanthropist |
| divae | Cuthona divae (Marcus, 1961) | Rose-pink Cuthona | Diva Diniz Corrêa (1918 - 1993), Brazilian marine biologist |
| donsi | Pontonema donsi (Allgen, 1932) | N/A - nematode | Carl Fredrik Lindemann Dons (1882 - 1949), Norwegian marine biologist |
| Dreissena | Dreissena bugensis (Andrusov, 1897) | Quagga Mussel | M. Driessens, Limburg pharmacist |
| dunckeri | Solegnathus dunckeri Whitley, 1927 | Dunker's pipehorse | Georg Duncker (1870 - 1953), German ichthyologist |
| dussumieri | Hyporhamphus dussumieri (Valenciennes, 1847) | Dussumier's halfbeak | Jean-Jacques Dussumier (1792 - 1883), French ship owner and collector |
| E | |||
| edgarii | Turbonilla edgarii (Melvill, 1896) | N/A - pyramidellid snail | Edgar Albert Smith (1847 - 1916), British conchologist |
| eigenmannia | Anchoa eigenmannia Meek & Hildebrand, 1923 | Eigenmann's anchovy | Carl H. Eigenmann (1863 - 1927), German born US ichthyologist |
| Emiliana | Emiliania huxleyi (Lohmann) W.W.Hay & H.P.Mohler, 1967 | N/A - Coccolithophore | Cesare Emiliani, (1922 – 1995), Italian-American geologist and micropaleontologist. |
| Eschrichtius | Eschrichtius robustus (Lilljeborg, 1861) | Grey whale | Daniel Frederick Eschricht (1798 - 1863), Danish zoologist |
| F | |||
| fitzroyi | Lagenorhynchus obscurus fitzroyi (Waterhouse, 1838) | Dusky, or FitzRoy's, dolphin | Robert FitzRoy (1805 - 1865), British naval officer and scientist |
| flindersi | Sillago flindersi McKay, 1985 | Flinders' sillago | Matthew Flinders (1774 - 1814), English naval officer |
| forskali | Holothuria forskali Delle Chiaje, 1823 | Black sea cucumber | Peter Forsskål (1732 - 1763), Swedish naturalist |
| Fowlerichthys | Fowlerichthys Barbour 1941 | Genus of Frogfishes | Likely honouring Henry Weed Fowler (1878 - 1965), US ichthyogist |
| freycineti | Hemiscyllium freycineti (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) | Indonesia speckled carpetshark | Louis de Freycinet (1779 – 1841), French navigator |
| G | |||
gaimard | Coris gaimard (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) | African coris | Joseph Paul Gaimard (1793 - 1858), French naturalist |
| gardineri | Callionymus gardineri Regan, 1908 | Longtail dragonet | John Stanley Gardiner (1872 - 1946), British zoologist |
| garmani | Diaphus garmani Gilbert, 1906 | Garman's lanternfish | Samuel Garman (1843 1927), US naturalist |
| garrettii | Favartia garrettii (Pease, 1868) | N/A - murex snail | Andrew Garrett (1823 - 1887), US naturalist |
gaudichaudii | Ocypode gaudichaudii | Painted ghost crab | Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré (1789 - 1854), French botanist |
| geoffroy | Macropharyngodon geoffroy (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) | Geoffroy's wrasse | Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1772 - 1844), French naturalist |
| gigliolii | Philinopsis gigliolii (Tapparone-Canefri, 1874) | N/A - sea slug | Enrico Hillyer Giglioli (1845 - 1909), Italian zoologist |
| gilli | Ammodytoides gilli (Bean, 1895) | Gill's sand lance | Theodore Nicholas Gill (1837 - 1914), US ichthyologist |
| girardi | Notropis girardi Hubbs & Ortenburger, 1929 | Arkansas River shiner | Charles Frédéric Girard (1822 - 1895), French born US zoologist |
| godeffroyi | Scolecenchelys godeffroyi (Regan, 1909) | Godeffroy | Johann Cesar VI. Godeffroy (1813 - 1885), German merchant and collector |
| goeldii | Sternarchorhynchus goeldii de Santana & Vari, 2010 | Goeldi's tube-snouted ghost knifefish | Émil Goeldi (1859 – 1917), Swiss zoologist |
| goesi | Pazinotus goesi Houart, 2006 | N/A - murex snail | Axel Teodor von Goës (1835 - 1897), Swedish naturalist |
| goodei | Trachinotus goodei Jordan & Evermann, 1896 | Great pompano | George Brown Goode (1851 - 1896), US ichthyologist |
| gordonae | Sacculina gordonae Boschma, 1933 | N/A - parasitic barnacle | Isabella Gordon (1901 - 1988), Scottish carcinologist |
| gossei | Leucandra gossei (Bowerbank, 1862) | N/A - calcareous sponge | Philip Henry Gosse (1810 - 1888), English naturalist |
| greenwoodi | Sargochromis greenwoodi (Bell-Cross, 1975) | Greenwood's happy | Peter Humphry Greenwood (1927 - 1995), British ichthyologist |
| gronovii | Nomeus gronovii (Gmelin, 1789) | Man-of-war fish | Laurens Theodorus Gronovius (1730 - 1777), Dutch naturalist and collector of natural history objects |
| guichenoti | Cirrhitichthys guichenoti (Sauvage, 1880) | Cave hawkfish | Alphone Guichenot (1809 - 1876), French zoologist |
| H | |||
| haackei | Parapercis haackei (Steindachner, 1884) | Wavy grubfish | Johann Wilhelm Haacke (1855 – 1912), German zoologist |
| haeckelii | Scyliorhinus haeckelii (Miranda Ribeiro, 1907) | Freckled catshark | Ernst Haeckel (1834 - 1919), German zoologist |
| hamiltoni | Psilorhynchus hamiltoni Conway, Dittmer, Jezisek & Ng, 2013 | N/A – Mountain carp | Francis Buchanan-Hamilton (1762 - 1829, Scottish naturalist |
| hanseni | Lucifer hanseni Nobili, 1905 | N/A - prawn | Hans Jacob Hansen (1855 - 1936), Danish zoologist |
| harveyi | Dasyptilon harveyi (J.D.Hooker) Papenfuss, 1958 | N/A – Red alga | William Henry Harvey (1811 - 1866), Irish phycologist |
hasselquistii | Mormyrus hasselquistii Valenciennes, 1847 | Elephant snout | Fredrik Hasselquist (1722 - 1752), Swedish naturalist |
| hasseltii | Callogobius hasseltii (Bleeker, 1851) | Hasselt's goby | Johan Coenraad van Hasselt (1797 - 1823), Dutch zoologist |
heckelii | Acarichthys heckelii (Müller & Troschel, 1849) | Threadfin acara | Johann Jakob Heckel (1790 - 1857), Austrian ichthyologist |
| hemingwayi | Neomerinthe hemingwayi Fowler, 1935 | Spinycheek scorpionfish | Ernest Hemingway (1899 - 1961), US novelist |
| heraldi | Centropyge heraldi Woods & Schultz, 1953 | Yellow angelfish | Earl Stannard Herald (1914 - 1973), US ichthyologist |
| herrei | Micrixalus herrei (Myers, 1942) | Indian dancing frog | Albert W. Herre (1868 - 1962), Curator of Ichthyology in the Natural History Museum of Stanford University |
| herwigi | Raja herwigi Krefft, 1965 | Cape Verde skate | Walther Herwig (1838 - 1912), Prussian fisheries administrator |
| heymonsi | Spiliphera heymonsi Steiner, 1921 | N/A - nematode | Richard Heymons (1867 - 1943), German zoologist |
| hicksoni | Cladiella hicksoni (Tixier-Durivault, 1944) | N/A - soft coral | Sydney J. Hickson (1859 - 1940), British zoologist |
| hincksi | Coryne hincksi Bonnevie, 1898 | N/A - athecate hydroid | Thomas Hincks (1818 - 1899), British naturalist |
| hirohitoi | Zanclea hirohitoi Boero, Bouillon & Gravili, 2000 | N/A - hydrozoan | Hirohito (1901 - 1989), Japanese marine biologist and Emperor of Japan |
| hjorti | Asquamiceps hjorti (Koefoed, 1927) | Barethroat slickhead | Johan Hjort (1869 - 1948), Norwegian fisheries scientist |
holmesii | Rhodymenia holmesii Ardissone, 1893 | Holmes's Rose Weed | Edward Morell Holmes (1843 - 1930), British botanist |
humesi | Cladiella humesi Verseveldt, 1974 | N/A - soft coral | Arthur Grover Humes (1916 - 1999), US copepodologist |
hutchinsoni | Cyclops hutchinsoni Kiefer, 1936 | N/A - copepod | G. Evelyn Hutchinson (1903 - 1991), English zoologist |
| huxleyi | Emiliania huxleyi (Lohmann) W.W.Hay & H.P.Mohler, 1967 | N/A - coccolithophore | Thomas Henry Huxley (1825 - 1895), British biologist |
| hymanae | Hydra hymanae Hadley & Forrest, 1949 | Jersey hydra | Libbie Hyman (1888 - 1969), US zoologist |
| I | |||
| ijimae | Neosynchiropus ijimae (Jordan & Thompson, 1914) | Japanese dragonet | Isao Ijima (1861 - 1921), Japanese zoologist |
| innesi | Paracheirodon innesi (Myers, 1936) | Neon tetra | William T. Innes (1874 - 1969), US aquarist |
| J | |||
| Jamescookina | Jamescookina redacta Humes, 1991 | N/A – Coral associated copepod | James Cook (1728 - 1779), English explorer and navigator |
| jacquesi | Gibbacousteau jacquesi Espinosa & Ortea, 2013 | N/A - gastropod | Jacques-Yves Cousteau (1910 - 1997), French oceanographer |
| jardinei | Catalaphyllia jardinei (Saville-Kent, 1893) | Elegance coral | Frank Jardine (1841 - 1919), Australian pioneer |
| jenynsi | Symphurus jenynsi Evermann & Kendall, 1906 | Jenyn's tonguefish | Leonard Jenyns (1800 - 1893), English clergyman and naturalist |
jordani | Cirrhilabrus jordani Snyder, 1904 | Flame wrasse | David Starr Jordan (1851 - 1931), US ichthyologist |
| joubini | Octopus joubini Robson, 1929 | Atlantic pygmy octopus | Louis Joubin (1861 - 1935), French marine biologist |
Joubiniteuthis | Joubiniteuthis portieri | Joubin's squid | Louis Joubin |
jungerseni | Tealidium jungerseni | N/A - Sea anemone | Hector Frederik Estrup Jungersen (1854 - 1917), Danish marine biologist |
| K | |||
| kabatabobbus | Bobkabata kabatabobbus Hogans & Benz, 1990 | N/A – parasitic copepod | Zbigniew 'Bob' Kabata (1924 - 2014), Polish parasitologist |
| kaupii | Synaphobranchus kaupii Johnson, 1862 | Kaup's arrowtooth eel | Johann Jakob Kaup (1803 - 1873), German ichthyologist |
| klausewitzi | Heteroconger klausewitzi (Eibl-Eibesfeldt & Köster, 1983) | Galapagos garden eel | Wolfgang Klausewitz (1922 - ), German ichthyologist |
| kobelti | Fusinus kobelti (Dall, 1877) | Kobelt's spindle | Wilhelm Kobelt (1840 - 1916), German malacologist |
| koehleri | Orthasterias koehleri (de Loriol, 1897) | Rainbow star | Jean Baptiste François René Koehler (1860 - 1931), French zoologist |
| kottelati | Squalius kottelati Turan, Yilmaz & Kaya, 2009 | Cilician Pike Chub | Maurice Kottelat (1957 - ), Swiss ichthyologist |
krampi | Mohnia krampi | N/A - gastropod | Paul Lassenius Kramp (1887 - 1975), Danish cnidariologist |
| L | |||
lacepede | Lophotus lacepede Giorna, 1809 | Crested oarfish | Bernard Germain de Lacépède (1756 - 1825), French naturalist |
| lalandi | Seriola lalandi Valenciennes, 1833 | Yellowtail amberjack | Pierre Antoine Delalande (1787 - 1823), French naturalist |
| langerhansi | Hyalopomatus langerhansi Ehlers, 1887 | N/A - polychaete | Paul Langerhans (1847 - 1888), German physiologist and biologist |
| lankesteri | Neostethus lankesteri Regan, 1916 | N/A - priapiumfish | E. Ray Lankester (1847 - 1929), British zoologist |
| lessonii | Plectorhinchus lessonii (Cuvier, 1830) | Lesson's thicklip | René Primevère Lesson (1794 - 1849), French zoologist |
Lesueurigobius | Lesueurigobius suerii (Risso, 1810) | Lesueur's goby | Charles Alexandre Lesueur (1778 - 1846), French naturalist and artist |
| leydigi | Sphaerifer leydigi Richiardi, 1877 | N/A - parasitic copepod | Franz Leydig (1821 - 1908), German zoologist |
| limbaughi | Chromis limbaughi Greenfield & Woods,1980 | Limbaugh's damselfish | Conrad Limbaugh (1924 - 1960), US marine biologist and diver |
| linneana | Eunaticina linneana (Récluz, 1843) | N/A - moon snail | Carl Linnaeus (1707 - 1778), Swedish botanist and zoologist |
| lloydii | Cerianthus lloydii Gosse, 1859 | N/A - tube anemone | William Alford Lloyd (1824 - 1880), British naturalist, the first professional aquarist |
| Ludwigia | Ludwigia grandiflora | Water Primrose | Christian Gottlieb Ludwig (1709-1773), German physician and botanist |
| M | |||
| mccullochi | Amphiprion mccullochi Whitley, 1929 | Whitesnout anemonefish | Allan Riverstone McCulloch (1885 - 1925), Australian ichthyologist |
| macdonaldi | Totoaba macdonaldi (Gilbert, 1890) | Totoaba | Marshall McDonald, (1835 - 1895), US fisheries scientist |
| macfarlandi | Felimida macfarlandi (Cockerell, 1901) | Three-stripe doris | Frank Mace MacFarland (1869 - 1951), US malacologist |
| Maresearsia | Maresearsia praeclara Totton, 1954 | N/A - siphonophore | Mary Sears (1905 - 1997), US oceanographer |
| marie-lebouriae | Protoperidinium marie-lebouriae (Paulsen, 1931) Balech, 1974 | N/A – dinoflagellate | Marie Lebour (1876 – 1971), British marine biologist |
| marshallae | Calanus marshallae Frost, 1974 | N/A - copepod | Sheina Marshall (1896 - 1977), Scottish marine biologist |
| martinierei | Capsala martinierei Bosc, 1811 | N/A - Capsalid monogenean | Joseph Hugues Boissieu La Martinière (1758 - 1788), French botanist |
| matsubarai | Bathyraja matsubarai (Ishiyama, 1952) | Dusky-purple skate | Kiyomatsu Matsubara (1907 - 1968), Japanese ichthyologist |
| meeki | Thorichthys meeki (Brind, 1918) | Firemouth cichlid | Seth Eugene Meek (1859 - 1914), US ichthyologist |
| meesi | Tatia meesi Sarmento-Soares & Martins-Pinheiro, 2008 | N/A - Driftwood catfish | Gerlof Mees (1926 – 2013), Dutch ichthyologist |
| melvilli | Conus melvilli Sowerby, 1878 | N/A - Cone shell | James Cosmo Melvill (1845 - 1929) , British malacologist |
| menoni | Mystus menoni Plamoottil & Abraham, 2013 | Idukki Mystus | Ambat Gopalan Kutty Menon (1921 - 2002), Indian ichthyologist |
| mertensii | Chaetodon mertensii Cuvier, 1831 | Atoll butterflyfish | Karl Heinrich Mertens (1796 - 1830), German botanist and naturalist |
| moebiusii | Schilbe moebiusii (Pfeffer, 1896) | N/A - Schilbid catfish | Karl August Möbius (1825 - 1908), German zoologist |
| montagui | Liparis montagui (Donovan, 1804) | Montagus seasnail (snailfish) | George Montagu (1753 - 1815), English army officer and naturalist |
| muelleri | Maurolicus muelleri (Gmelin, 1789) | Silvery lightfish or Mueller's pearlside | Otto Friedrich Müller (1730 - 1784), Danish naturalist |
| murrayi | Melanocetus murrayi Günther, 1887 | Murray's abyssal anglerfish | John Murray (1841 - 1914), Scottish marine biologist |
| N | |||
| naresii | Cypselurus naresii (Günther, 1889) | Pharao flyingfish | George Strong Nares (1831 - 1915), British naval officer (Challenger Expedition) |
| nelsoni | Barilius nelsoni Barman, 1988 | N/A - cyprinid | Joseph S. Nelson (1937 - 2011), US ichthyologist |
| Nuttallia nuttallii | Nuttallia nuttallii (Conrad, 1837) | California mahogany-clam | Thomas Nuttall (1786 - 1859), English naturalist |
| O | |||
| ogilbyi | Hoplichthys ogilbyi McCulloch, 1914 | Ogilby's ghost flathead | James Douglas Ogilby (1853 – 1925), Irish born Australian ichthyologist |
| oldroydae | Bittium oldroydae Bartsch, 1911 | N/A - cerith snail | Ida Shepard Oldroyd (1856 - 1940), US conchologist |
| Oscarella | Oscarella Vosmaer, 1884 | N/A - genus of aspiculate sponges | Eduard Oscar Schmidt (1823 - 1886), German zoologist |
| P | |||
| pellegrini | Barbus pellegrini Poll, 1939 | Pellegrin's barb | Jacques Pellegrin (1873 - 1944), French zoologist |
| pelseneeri | Doriopsilla pelseneeri d'Oliveira, 1895 | N/A - dorid nudibranch | Jean Paul Louis Pelseneer (1863 - 1945), Belgian malacologist |
| pennantii | Coregonus pennantii Valenciennes, 1848 | Gwyniad | Thomas Pennant (1726 - 1798), English naturalist |
| perezfarfanteae | Troglomexicanus perezfarfanteae (Villalobos Figueroa, 1971) | N/A - freshwater shrimp | Isabel Pérez Farfante (1916 - 2009), Cuban carcinologist |
| peronii | Lissodelphis peronii (Lacépède, 1804) | Southern right whale dolphin | François Péron (1775 – 1810), French naturalist |
| petersii | Gnathonemus petersii (Günther, 1862) | Elephantnose fish | Wilhelm Peters (1815 - 1883), German naturalist |
| Pickfordiateuthis | Pickfordiateuthis pulchella Voss, 1953 | Grass squid | Grace E. Pickford (1902 - 1986), US biologist |
| pietschi | Icelinus pietschi Yabe, Soma & Amaoka, 2001 | N/A - sculpin | Theodore Wells Pietsch III (1945 - ), US ichthyologist |
| pinkfloydi | Synalpheus pinkfloydi Anker, Hultgren, De Grave, 2015 | Snapping shrimp | British rock band Pink Floyd |
| poeyi | Evoxymetopon poeyi Günther, 1887 | Poey's scabbardfish | Felipe Poey (1799 - 1891), Cuban naturalist |
| polli | Etmopterus polli Bigelow, Schroeder & Springer, 1953 | African lanternshark | Max Poll (1908 - 1991), Belgian ichthyologist |
| Portlandia | Portlandia Mörch, 1857 | Genus of saltwater clams | Margaret Bentinck, Duchess of Portland (1715 - 1785), British collector of natural history objects |
| Pourtalesia | Pourtalesia jeffreysi Thomson, 1873 | N/A - irregular sea urchin | Louis François de Pourtalès (1824 - 1880), Swiss born US naturalist |
| powelli | Philine powelli Rudman, 1970 | N/A - opisthobranch | Arthur William Baden Powell (1901 - 1987), New Zealand conchologist |
| pruvoti | Vanneaugobius pruvoti (Fage, 1907) | N/A - goby | Georges Pruvot (1852 - 1924), French zoologist |
| R | |||
| rachelcarsonae | Chicoreus rachelcarsonae Petuch, 1987 | N/A - murex snail | Rachel Carson (1907 - 1964), US marine biologist and conservationist |
| rafflesii | Chaetodon rafflesii Anonymous [Bennett], 1830 | Latticed butterflyfish | Stamford Raffles (1781 - 1826), British statesman and naturalist |
| randalli | Amblyeleotris randalli Hoese & Steene, 1978 | Randall's prawn-goby | John E. “Jack” Randall (1924 - ), US ichthyologist |
rathbunae | Lysmata rathbunae Chace, 1970 | Rathbun cleaner shrimp or Peppermint Shrimp | Mary Jane Rathbun (1860 -1943), US zoologist |
rathbuni | Pontinus rathbuni Goode & Bean, 1896 | Highfin scorpionfish | Richard Rathbun (1852 - 1918), US biologist |
| regani | Julidochromis regani Poll, 1942 | Convict julie | Charles Tate Regan (1878 - 1943), British ichthyologist |
| reynaudii | Loligo reynaudii d'Orbigny, 1841 | Cape Hope squid | Auguste Adolphe Marc Reynaud (1804 - 1887), French naval surgeon and naturalist |
| richardsonae | Dactylokepon richardsonae Stebbing, 1910 | N/A - isopod | Harriet Richardson (1874 - 1958), US carcinologist |
| rickettsi | Catriona rickettsi Behrens, 1984 | Doc's aeolid | Ed Ricketts (1897 - 1948), US marine biologist |
| risso | Callionymus risso Lesueur, 1814 | Risso’s dragonet | Antoine Risso (1777 - 1845), Niçard naturalist |
rosenblatti | Opistognathus rosenblatti Allen & Robertson, 1991 | Blue-spotted jawfish | Richard H. Rosenblatt (1930 - 2014), US ichthyologist |
roulei | Gobius roulei de Buen, 1928 | Roule's goby | Louis Roule (1861 - 1942), French naturalist |
| S | |||
| sakaii | Sakaija sakaii (Takeda & Miyake, 1969) | N/A - spider crab | Tune Sakai (1903 - 1986), Japanese carcinologist |
| sarsi | Ilyocryptus sarsi Stingelin, 1913 | N/A - branchiopod | Georg Ossian Sars (1837 - 1927), Norwegian zoologist |
| savignyi | Diadema savignyi Michelin, 1845 | Savigny's long-spine sea urchin | Marie Jules César de Savigny (1777 - 1851), French zoologist |
| say | Dasyatis say (Lesueur, 1817) | Bluntnose stingray | Thomas Say (1787 - 1834), US naturalist |
| schauinslandii | Parapercis schauinslandii (Steindachner, 1900) | Redspotted sandperch | Hugo Schauinsland (1857 - 1937), German zoologist |
| scheeri | Merulina scheeri Head, 1983 | N/A – stony coral | Georg Scheer (1910 – 2004), German coral specialist |
| schmidti | Sycon schmidti (Haeckel, 1872) | N/A - calcareous sponge | Eduard Oscar Schmidt (1823 - 1886), German zoologist |
Schroederichthys | Schroederichthys tenuis Springer, 1966 | Slender catshark | William Charles Schroeder (1895 - 1977), US ichthyologist |
| sebae | Amphiprion sebae Bleeker, 1853 | Sebae anemonefish | Albertus Seba (1665 - 1736), Dutch collector of natural history objects |
siebenrocki | Mauremys caspica siebenrocki Wischuf & Fritz, 1997 | Siebenrock's Caspian turtle | Friedrich Siebenrock (1853 - 1925), Austrian herpetologist |
| sloani | Chauliodus sloani Bloch & Schneider, 1801 | Sloane's viperfish | Hans Sloane (1660 - 1753), British naturalist and collector |
| snyderi | Parapercis snyderi Jordan & Starks, 1905 | U-mark sandperch or Snyder's grubfish | John Otterbein Snyder (1867 – 1943), US ichthyologist |
| solandri | Acanthocybium solandri (Cuvier, 1832) | Wahoo | Daniel Solander (1733 - 1782), Swedish naturalist |
| sowerbyi | Episiphon sowerbyi Guilding, 1834 | Annulate tuskshell | George Brettingham Sowerby I (1788 - 1854), British conchologist |
| springeri | Chrysiptera springeri (Allen & Lubbock, 1976) | Springer's demoiselle | Victor G. Springer (1928 - ), US ichthyologist |
| stebbingi | Metapenaeus stebbingi Nobili, 1904 | Peregrine shrimp | Thomas Roscoe Rede Stebbing (1835 - 1926), British zoologist |
| steinbecki | Lampanyctus steinbecki Bolin, 1939 | Longfin lampfish | John Steinbeck (1902 - 1968), US novelist |
| stelleri | Myoxocephalus stelleri Tilesius, 1811 | Steller's sculpin | Georg Wilhelm Steller (1709 - 1746), German naturalist and explorer |
| suckleyi | Squalus suckleyi (Girard, 1855) | Pacific spiny dogfish | George Suckley (1830 - 1869), US physician and naturalist |
| sumneri | Turbonilla sumneri Bartsch, 1909 | Sumner's Turbonille | Francis Bertody Sumner (1874 - 1945), US ichthyologist |
| T | |||
| tasmaniensis | Scolecenchelys tasmaniensis (McCulloch, 1911) | Tasmanian worm eel | Abel Tasman (1603 - 1659), Dutch explorer |
| thielei | Benthoctopus thielei Robson, 1932 | N/A - octopus | Johannes Thiele (1860 - 1935), German malacologist |
| thompsoni | Platycyamus thompsoni (Gosse, 1855) | Whale louse | William Thompson (1822 - 1879), English naturalist and pioneer of underwater photography |
| thomsonii | Cottunculus thomsonii (Günther, 1882) | Pallid sculpin | Charles Wyville Thomson (1830 - 1882), Scottish marine biologist |
thorsoni | Typhlocarcinus thorsoni Serène, 1964 | N/A - Pilumnid crab | Gunnar Thorson (1906 - 1971), Danish marine biologist |
| tilesii | Plocamopherus tilesii Bergh, 1877 | N/A - nudibranch | Wilhelm Gottlieb Tilesius (1769 - 1857), German naturalist |
| tryonii | Benthobia tryonii Dall, 1889 | N/A - sea snail | George Washington Tryon (1838 - 1888), US malacologist |
| turnerae | Penitella turnerae Evans & Fisher, 1966 | Turner piddock | Ruth Turner (1914 - 2000), US malacologist |
| V | |||
| valenciennei | Callionymus valenciennei Temminck & Schlegel, 1845 | Valenciennes’ dragonet | Achille Valenciennes (1794 – 1865), French zoologist |
| valentini | Canthigaster valentini (Bleeker, 1853) | Valentin's sharpnose puffer | François Valentijn (1666 - 1727), Dutch minister and naturalist |
| verrilli | Gymnothorax verrilli (Jordan & Gilbert, 1883) | White-edged moray | Addison Emery Verril (1839 - 1926), US zoologist |
| W | |||
| waitei | Luzonichthys waitei (Fowler, 1931) | Waite's splitfin | Edgar Ravenswood Waite (1866 - 1928), English-born Australian zoologist |
wallacii | Crenicichla wallacii Regan, 1905 | N/A - Pike cichlid | Alfred Russel Wallace (1823 - 1913), British naturalist and explorer |
wellsi | Blastomussa wellsi | N/A - Large polyp stony coral | John West Wells (1907 - 1994), US zoologist |
| whiteleggii | Cubiceps whiteleggii (Waite, 1894) | Shadow driftfish | Thomas Whitelegge (1850 - 1927), Australian naturalist |
| whitleyi | Ostracion whitleyi Fowler, 1931 | Whitley's box | Gilbert Percy Whitley (1903 - 1975), British-born Australian ichthyologist |
| williamsoni | Elphidium williamsoni Haynes, 1973 | N/A - foraminiferan | William Crawford Williamson (1816 - 1895), English naturalist |
| winckworthi | Octopus winckworthi Robson, 1926 | Winckworth’s octopus | Ronald Winckworth (1884 - 1950), British malacologist |
| Y | |||
| yarrellii | Laemonema yarrellii (Lowe, 1838) | Codling | William Yarrell (1784 - 1856), English naturalist |
If you have a question about an epynomic scientific name pertaining to any species of aquatic animal, please contact Aquatical Latin via queries@aquaticallatin.info and we’ll do our best answer your query.