51¶¯Âþ

Nomenclature can be a dull subject but, since the days of Linnaeus, the use of Latin for distinguishing species has been internationally accepted. One for the library shelf is A.F. Gotch’s Latin Names Explained (Bradford, £20, ISBN 0 7137 2565 6). It covers the classification of reptiles, birds and mammals, translating as it goes with brief accounts of the namer. Some are obvious – a Russell named the Russell’s viper – others less so. A bat named Ia io, a claimant for the shortest name, was named by Oldfield Thomas. Ia is the name of a woman from classical times and io is the Roman exclamation for joy.