Scientific Names for fish

  • Thread starter Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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Why is it that the vast majority of anglers shy away from using the scientific name for species of fish.

By the late 50s, I knew the scientific name for all our common species of freshwater fish. During the late 19th century, angling writers used the scientific names all the time in some cases. These names sound so romantic when compared with "Roach" or "chub" or "Eel".

Just imagine how a conversation beween two anglers should really sound if we got back to basics.

"Ah goodmorrow kind sir, I see thou art a noble exponent of the piscatorial art. Hast thou had any luck perchance?"

"Aye, a brace of Leuciscus cephalus, a Leuciscus leuciscus and a Gastero aculatus pecking at my worm."

"Such a shame noble piscator, I tried the stream above the bridge and yesterday landed a fine Salmo trutta which took an artificial danica."

"But I also had a problem with Phoxinus phoxinus and Gymnocephalus cemua, the beastly things."

Get my drift. It does sound better doesn't it?

Now I must make preperations to catch a few Onchoryncus mykiss.
 
Graham Whatmore

Graham Whatmore

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Ron you do talk some bollukanus at times, why would I want to talk in a foreign tongue when I am English. Leave the Greek to the Greeks and the latin to the latins or better still tell them to speak proper English so we can all understand.

Perhaps you are just bored and want to stir it up a bit, whats the Africaans for cobblers Ron :eek:}
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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It's spelt Afrikaans Graham and the best word would be kak!

Bet you can't give me the common names for those I have listed without looking at Google?
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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And those who wish to be educated.

My old Grandad told me that education and travel broadens the mind.
 
B

BAZ (Angel of the North) aka Fester

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Stop kaking about and give me your card.
 
C

Clive Evans 1

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Granddad was quite right.
And those who are properly educated and broad-minded will have already learnt not to ask or answer nerdish questions.
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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Which card Baz?

And what on earth is a nerd?
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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I really do not know why people object to learning the scientific name for various living species. The names are totally unique and are the same whether you speak French, Russian or Dutch.

And they identify the species exactly.

Scientific names are based on binomial nomenclature. The first part of the name is termed the Genus, the second part of the name decribes what it is. Often the name will have a third part for emphasis or to canonise the person who may have discovered the species.

eg: Cyprinus carpio

Cyprinus tell you it is a cyprinoid and carpio tells you it's a carp.

If I had discovered this species of fish it might be given the name:

Cyprinus carpio clayii
 
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Deanos

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Hope you had a good holiday Ron, my aunty fat Sandra (aka ?fatus hippopotamus?)
Says she has really missed you!, and would you send her a signed photo of yourself, holding your tackle on the river bank, without your teeth in! She says it would remind her of her late mother.
Ps did you catch owt?
 
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swanny999

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chub dace 3 spined stickleback
brown trout
minnow ruffe
in my eye spy book
do I win a prize Ron
 
D

Deanos

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ha ha Ron...met your match now havent you! :))))

(this wont stop him swanny, he will go through the whole lot now you watch!).
 
captain carrott

captain carrott

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you do talk some tripe ron.

the only reason that latin is still in use is because it was the official language of the church for many years.

biologists realised that it had been used to add some form of mystique to religion and made it harder for the layman to understand.

as biology is in essence the most simplistic of the sciences they used it to stop the layman catching on.

you will notice that in both physics and chemistry terms are on the whole in english, the reason being it is hard enough to understand quantum principals without cloaking it in some archaic mumbo jumbo language.
 
captain carrott

captain carrott

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and i am proud to say i don't understand quantum physics.

i just don't understand it at a much higher level than most other people on here.
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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Had a very nice holiday Deanos.

Caught Tinca tinca, Rutilis rutilis, Scardinius erythropthamus, Abramis brama and Anguilla anguilla.

Then I had a day on the Nene near Oundle with Simon Youill Yoggius piscator maximus, where we caught Leuciscus cephalus and Rutilus rutilus.

Simon also hooked a Barbus barbus maximus which got off.
 
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