Common names

[Michael Gochfeld]

I would argue that it isn't intrinsically more difficult to memorize the 
scientific name of this butterfly than to learn its common name. Some 
scientific names are daunting, but some common names are complex as 
well. 

But it is a flaw to assume that the scientific names are "better".  For 
example, looking at papers published a hundred years ago in northeastern 
U.S. I found that more of the common than scientific names had remained 
unchanged.  Thus at any point in time a scientific name may be the same 
in North America and Europe, but over time the meddling in systematics 
is reflected in dramatic changes in our understanding of species 
concepts, generic relationships, etc. Particularly at the generic level 
where there don't seem to be many "rules", it can be a free-for all.  
Have our European colleagues kept up to date on our realignment of 
American hairstreaks at the generic level????

So it may be easier to learn two common names than to keep track of the 
evolving scientific names. ----if "easier" is a virtue.

M. Gochfeld