Flag for Taxon: Dasylechia atrox
| Flagger | Content Author | Content | Reason | Flag Created | Resolved by | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tristanmcknight | Dasylechia atrox |
it has a confusing made-up common name |
Sep. 21, 2021 19:40:24 +0000 | willc-t |
Removed name |
Comments
@raymie added the name and may wish to comment
I did not make this name up! It is a legitimate common name in use in many places on the internet. I know that the name also refers to Laphira, but there's no reason multiple taxa cannot have the same common name.
@raymie That is the EXACT problem with common names. Having two different species with one common names just causes confusion for everyone, and is why I have always disliked it in insects in particular. Change any part of the common name, just don't make it the same. When you add in what the common name is for different species in different languages are it gets even more complicated.
It can be harder for some people to learn scientific names, but when they do, they'll know that Dasylechia and Laphria are not the same thing. I strongly encourage you not to add a common name to this and remove what you added. This is my perspective as someone who does taxonomy.
This is coming off more hostile than I mean it to be, so I apologize; grouchy and mean is not the intent.
Common names are not like scientific names. It doesn't matter if they are confusing, if they are in use they are legitimate common names that belong on iNat.
@raymie Show me where this is a common widespread common name for Dasylechia specifically. I just did a google search for "bumblebee-mimic robber fly" "Dasylechia" and found only ONE non-iNat hit (a Youtube link) on the first page that was actually talking about this species, and it wasn't even by a native English speaker! (I've corresponded with him before.) All the others are referring to Laphria and only showing up because they list Dasylechia somewhere else on the page. Heck, I'm writing a paper about Dasylechia and have corresponded with practically everybody on the internet who has caught or photographed D. atrox (it's a small community) and none of them call it that. The only people who might are doing so because they're misidentifying it as a Laphria. We don't put "horse" as a common name for the donkey just because some kids can't tell the difference, the same should apply here. Not to mention, it doesn't even look like a bumblebee! Laphria thoracica is twice as good a mimic for bumblebees, hence why it already had that name. Dasylechia atrox looks like a carpenter bee, but there is no existing common name for this species.
I get that you like nitpicking common names. But I've seen you frustrate dozens of communities across a variety of taxa by pushing poorly-backed common names (oh goodness, the elk, javelina, and leafminer fights...) Please leave robber flies alone. They're not a field you have any experience in and I'd say it's starting to seem like a troll-like pattern of behavior.
@myelaphus @b_coulter @jeffgruber @rogue_biologist can weigh in with what they've heard this species called, they're the main other Dasylechia-active users on iNat.
I see several other sites including a few Flickr photos labeled as such. However, it oddly does seem like several references to the name from when I originally added this name have since been deleted. I'm not sure why the users of the name being not being native English speakers is relevant.
When I see frivolous common names like this I delete them. Looks like someone already did it.
@myelaphus I'm not going to argue with this name being deleted, but please do make sure that you don't delete any legitimately used common names.
When most people talk about "bee mimic robber flies", they mean Laphria (which is its own whole problem because that genus isn't unique in mimicking bees). But even if you search for specifically "bumbleebee mimic robber fly", Laphria still show up, and so I think somebody made it up just for here. If we're going to make up a common name to echo the presumed model for this species, it probably ought to be "Carpenter bee mimic robber fly", since Dasylechia look much more like a Xylocopa virginica than a Bombus. Laphria thoracica has a much better claim to "bumblebee mimic", and already have that common name here on iNat.