Stupid question but can someone please tell me the benefit from using scientific names for spiders? I cant think of a single advantage..

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Common names are very misleading. One spider could have many different names which just causes chaos. At least by using the correct latin name, spiders can be easily identified.

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What I keepBrachypelma albopilosaBrachypelma vagansBrachypelma smithiBrachypelma boehmiPhormictopus canceridesTheraphosa apophysisLasiodora parahybanaPterinochilus murinusCeratogyrus darlingiCitharischius crawshayiChilobrachys andersoniPoecilotheria regalisPsalmopoeus cambridgei[Grammostola rosea[/option]Aphonopelma seemaniHaplopelma lividumHaplopelma minaxTapinauchenius gigasAcanthoscurria geniculataEublepharis macularius

Will's exactly right, I don't even understand why common names exist...

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Common names are only relevant in the country you live in...at times.

There is too much variation in common names - just look at true spiders. Some people refer to certain spiders as "mouse spiders" or "sac spiders" interchangably - but these are of two distinct genus when using scientific names.

The fact is, "brazillian white knee" or whatever is useless to someone outside of the US or Europe, and it varies even within Europe as to what this actually refers to. Scientific names are different - eg Brachypelma smithi is always the same spider worldwide.

Another advantage is that it allows you to group animals together that share common characteristics. E.g using common names, you wouldnt neccessarily notice that the "mexican red leg", "yucatan rust rump", "costa rican red" and "honduran curlyhair" were all of the same genus and shared morphological and other characteristics.

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"All I know is my gut says maybe"

Brachypelma albopilosum (Charlotte)
100's of Harvestmen
Member of the BAS and AAS.

That is the reason linneaus blessed us with scientific names

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Yup. Although it isnt perfect, it works pretty well. I think what scuppered his naming system was the lack of web based records and the lack of insight into just how many animals there actually are.

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"All I know is my gut says maybe"

Brachypelma albopilosum (Charlotte)
100's of Harvestmen
Member of the BAS and AAS.

Yeah, I dont think he was very good at using a computer

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Nothing more to add here really. Everyone has answered the question.

It can be hard to get to grips with at 1st, but it gets easier!

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Question answered thanks. Feel free to ramble on though

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0.1.0 Beardie
0.0.1 BCI
0.1.0 Jungle/Coastal Carpet
0.0.1 Normal Corn
1.0.0 Albino Burm
0.0.1 Citharischius crawshayi
0.0.1 Euathlus truculentus

I use it for identification mainly.

We had someone in store looking for a "Tiger" spider.

Now anyone who knows common names knows theres LOADS of spiders with tigers in the common name across a broad spectrum of temperaments.

Tiger rump, Malaysian Earth tiger etc etc ad nausium.

Also you get shops that try to pull off shit like "Giant Pink Toe" which is Avicularia Braunshauseni. However looking at it, it was a bog standard pink toe. Its just the shop trying to pull off a scam. One that eventually worked as i bought it to get it the hell out of the store as they were crap and couldn't keep it properly (they had it on fish tank gravel in a standard cage no humidity etc etc), only for it to die a week later from internal parasites.

Let alone theres lots of common names for each spider, as someone stated all you have to do is make up a new name and wham people are buying it thinking its a new spider or newbies buying it because it sounds cool, but when they ask for help on a spider your like....uhh what the hells that. This is why i don't buy from stores who only give common names unless i know what it is by identification or quite simply i like the look of it and DONT need it for breeding....let alone a store that will remain nameless selling "RARE TARANTULA" for £200.....it was a Chile Rose (G.Rosea)

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