I have been talking with my great great great uncle. He is a priest, and he gave most of his life to a city/village in Mexico called La Esmeralda. He is a very knowledgeable person, and he sent me an email asking about a couple species, of true spider, and tarantula. So the topic was on GBB's, because my grandma was telling him I was breeding them. So he was interesting in why the common name was "Green bottle blue", so I told him is was just a name given by a hobbyist to describes what is looks like. I also gave him the scientific name, and some reasoning behind it. This was his reply.
"About the name of the Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens. Yes the <chromat> would come from the Greek meaning color. <Pelma> can mean the <underside of the foot>. But it would hardly be applicable here. The second part of the name in this instance is not in reference, as many times it is, to the name of the one who discovers the species, or the place of its origin. Rather it is a further description of the tarantula.
<Cyano> is Greek for <blue/green>. This is the color of the very ancient cyanobacteria which still exists today. It is a strange bacterium that uses photosynthesis to produce its energy, and in symbiosis with a fungus created one of the oldest sea fossils known, the stromatolites. <Pubescens> is a Latin word meaning <soft fine hairs>. Obviously from nascent pubic hair. So, a further description of tarantula: <covered with fine blue green hair>. Like the common name of the animal. "
So now, I am on a mission so find out what all of the T's I keep, or want to keep, scientific name meaning.
I thought this was interesting, and I thought i'd share with you guys
Thanks, Nick
rosenkrieger
Wow, that's neat
balam
Thanks Nick!!!
I think I saw a similar thread somewhere else, the person may have been an etymologists or something of that fashion.
Cool to know
arachnofein
thats awesome
Herpetologyfrk
I thought so as well. I am going to the book store later today =]
