List of taxa named by anagrams on:
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In the biological
In the biological nomenclature codes
Nomenclature codes or codes of nomenclature are the various rulebooks that govern biological taxonomic nomenclature, each in their own broad field of organisms. To an end-user who only deals with names of species, with some awareness that species ...
, an anagram
An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...
can be used to name a new taxon
In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...
.
Wordplay
Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phon ...
s are one source of inspiration allowing organisms to receive scientific names. In the binomial nomenclature
In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name compos ...
, as scientists have latitude in naming genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
and species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
, a taxon name can therefore be an anagram, provided it remains pronounceable. For example, in the ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants
The ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal botanical names that are given to plants, fungi and a few other groups of organisms, all those "trad ...
'', a new generic name can be taken from the name of a person by using an anagram or abbreviation of it.
William Elford Leach
William Elford Leach FRS (2 February 1791 – 25 August 1836) was an English zoologist and marine biologist.
Life and work
Elford Leach was born at Hoe Gate, Plymouth, the son of an attorney. At the age of twelve he began a medical appre ...
was among the first naturalists to use taxonomic anagrams, and, in 1818, he described several isopod
Isopoda is an order of crustaceans that includes woodlice and their relatives. Isopods live in the sea, in fresh water, or on land. All have rigid, segmented exoskeletons, two pairs of antennae, seven pairs of jointed limbs on the thorax, and ...
genera that were
each other's anagrams of 'Caroline' : '' Conilera'', '' Lironeca'', '' Nerocila'', '' Olencira'', and ''Rocinela
''Rocinela'' is a genus of isopods in the family Aegidae
The Aegidae are a family (biology), family of Isopoda, isopod crustaceans. The adults are temporary parasites of fish, feeding on their hosts' blood before dropping off to digest the m ...
''.
List in botany
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anagrams Taxonomic lists Taxonomy (biology) Anagrams Lists of things named after people Biological nomenclature Nomenclature codes