List of short species names

Living organisms are known by scientific names. These binomial names can vary greatly in length, and some can be very short; genus or species names composed of only one letter are not allowed by any of the nomenclature codes, but any combination of two letters and above can be valid if it has not been previously used. This list of shortest species names lists the scientific binomials with the fewest letters.[1] The longest scientific species names can be found in the List of long species names.

4 letters

Restoration of Yi qi (4 letters)
  • Ia io Thomas, 1902 – Family Vespertilionidae. The great evening bat is the largest vespertilionid bat, reaching a length of just over a metre. It occurs in tropical Asia where it lives in limestone caves. Apart from being the shortest scientific name of a living organism (and one of the shortest possible, since anything below 4 letters would not be allowed), it also has the peculiarity of being composed only of vowels. The specific name probably refers to Io, a woman of classical mythology, viewed as "flighty;" and the genus Ia (ἰά) is a Greek term for a shout.[2][3][4][5]

5 letters

Drawing of Foa fo (5 letters)
  • Aha ha Menke, 1977 – Family Crabronidae. This species of Australian wasp was named as a joke by entomologist Arnold Menke. He mentioned later that it was named for his exclamation "Aha, a new genus", when he first saw the specimen, with fellow entomologist Eric Grissell doubtfully responding "ha". It is found in the Kununurra region in Western Australia.[7][8]
  • Ja ana S. Ueno, 1955 – Family Carabidae. This is a blind carabid from the Ja-Ana Cave near Gifu in southern Japan. However, the original genus Ja has been reclassified as a subgenus of Jujiroa, so its valid binomial name is currently Jujiroa ana (11 letters).[10][11]

6 letters

Skull of Beg tse (6 letters)
Loa loa (6 letters)
  • Doto eo Ortea & Moro, 2014 - family Dotidae. A sea slug from the Canary Islands, Spain. Its specific epither derives "from the Latin eo, to move from one place to another, alluding to the pot warp on which it was collected, an unstable environment that facilitates the passive movement of the species."[14]
  • Gea eff Levi, 1983 – family Araneidae. An orb-weaver spider from New Guinea. It was given its unusual specific name because, even after it was identified as a distinct species, it remained for years without a proper description and was referred to in several papers simply as Argiope "F".[15]

7 letters

Doto kya (7 letters)
Pine engraver beetle, Ips pini (7 letters)
Restoration of juvenile Mei long (7 letters)
Mini mum (7 letters)
  • Agra bci Erwin, 2000, Agra dax Erwin, 2000, Agra ega Erwin, 1982, Agra liv Erwin, 2002, Agra max Erwin, 2010, Agra nex Erwin, 2000, Agra not Erwin, 2002, Agra nox Erwin, 1984 and Agra pia Liebke 1940 - family Carabidae. Nine more species of Agra beetle species, found in Central and South America. Agra bci is named after Barro Colorado Island, the type locality for this species. Agra dax is named after the Star Trek character Jadzia Dax, played by actress Terry Farrell. Agra ega is named after the former name of Tefé, the type locality for this species. Agra liv is named after actress Liv Tyler. Agra max is named after entomologist Max Liebke.[28][29][30][31][12]
  • Han solo Turvey, 2005 - family Diplagnostidae. A fossil trilobite from the Ordovician of China. According to the original publication, the generic name Han is a reference to the Han Chinese, the largest ethnic group in China; and the specific epithet solo refers to the fact that the species is the youngest Diplagnostidae fossil found to that date, suggesting that it was the last surviving member of that family. However, Samuel Turvey has stated elsewhere that he named it after Han Solo because some friends dared him to name a species after a Star Wars character.[37][38]
  • Mini mum Scherz et al., 2019 - family Microhylidae. The type species of the genus Mini, which are extremely small (8–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in)) frogs endemic to Madagascar, among the smallest vertebrates known to science.
  • Pieza pi Evenhuis, 2002 - family Mythicomyiidae. A small fly found in Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and Mexico. Entomologist Neal Evenhuis, known for his playful binomials, created the genus Pieza, explaining it as "derived from the Greek "πιεζοσ" = to squeeze,[42] referring to the peculiar shape of the sperm pump and apical valve of the female genitalia", and then used it to generate some phonetic puns, in this species (pronounced like "pizza pie"), and others such as Pieza deresistans (pièce de résistance), Pieza kake ("piece of cake") and Pieza rhea ("pizzeria").[43]
  • Pison eu Menke, 1988 - family Crabronidae. Pison is an old and well-studied genus of wasps, created in the early 19th century and containing over 150 species. Arnold Menke (who also named Aha ha) named many of them in a 1988 taxonomic revision, and it is believed that in this case he again engaged in some jocular wordplay (its pronuciantion is similar to "piss on you").
  • Poa alta Hitchc., Poa anae Tovar, Poa cita Edgar, Poa maia Edgar and Poa orba N.G.Walsh - family Poaceae. Another five species of grass of the genus Poa. The specific epithet alta, Latin for "tall", refers to this species being "unusually tall, with elongate blades."[44] Poa anae is named after botanist Ana Crespo.[45] The epithet cita, Latin for "quick, swift", refers to the rapid growth of this species, known as silver tussock. Poa maia is named after Maia, one of the stars in the Pleiades. The epithet of Poa orba derives from orbus, Latin for "orphan", and "alludes to its long rejection as an indigenous plant by [local] botanists, and also to its unclear phylogenetic relationship to other native Poa species."[46][47]
  • Zea mays L. - family Poaceae. This is the scientific name of maize, i.e. corn. Generic name Zea is derived from the Greek name (ζειά) for another cereal grain (possibly spelt); the specific epithet derives from the indigenous Taíno word for the plant, mahiz.

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