If you’re going to fail at taxonomy, you may as well fail big. 9 Comments / insects, Taxonomy / By alexwild [source] I don’t even know how to calculate the Taxonomy Fail Index on this. It’s multidimensionally wrong. Tweet Share Google Plus Share Whatsapp reddit Save
Michael Suttkus, II February 2, 2014 at 1:15 pm Mosquito scorpion the lacewings are my favorite species of the lacewing! Reply
masklinn February 2, 2014 at 1:20 pm Compute the TFI for each taxonomic assertion, then multiply them together? Reply
KMS February 3, 2014 at 3:28 am Oh bug…, even taxonomists get it wrong sometimes: http://www.alexanderwild.com/Ants/Taxonomic-List-of-Ant-Genera/Iridomyrmex/i-bR269LM Nice ant, wrong plant! And the TFI could be humungous!!! Reply
alexwild February 3, 2014 at 9:12 am I’m curious as to what you think the plant is, KMS, as the flower was quite clearly sprouting from this tree: http://www.alexanderwild.com/Ants/Taxonomic-List-of-Ant-Genera/Iridomyrmex/i-6sqsxcd/A Reply
KMS February 3, 2014 at 3:35 pm Thanks for that link Alex. Those thick clumps of droopy leaves on the near side of the tree are mistletoe, most likely Box Mistletoe, Amyema miquelii (Family Loranthaceae). Reply
alexwild February 3, 2014 at 5:35 pm Brilliant! That make more sense. I’ve updated the caption accordingly. Thanks! Reply
Will Holz February 3, 2014 at 7:39 pm That’s lovely! It immediately brought to mind the imaginary panic during the naming of the ‘Rainbow Mantis Shrimp’, which is also none of the three. “What IS that?” “I have NO idea, just throw some words on it and see what sticks” Reply
Will Holz February 4, 2014 at 3:25 pm Err. . peacock mantis shrimp. Rainbow mantis shrimp would be even more of a taxonomy fail, since now we’ve gone from matter to energy. I do occasionally get the right names for things! Really! Reply
Steven August 15, 2014 at 6:51 pm This goes on the same level of this fail: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/06/post_605_n_792672.html Pseudoscorpions are NOT “scorpion-spider bug hybrids”. Reply
Mosquito scorpion the lacewings are my favorite species of the lacewing!
Compute the TFI for each taxonomic assertion, then multiply them together?
Oh bug…, even taxonomists get it wrong sometimes:
http://www.alexanderwild.com/Ants/Taxonomic-List-of-Ant-Genera/Iridomyrmex/i-bR269LM
Nice ant, wrong plant! And the TFI could be humungous!!!
I’m curious as to what you think the plant is, KMS, as the flower was quite clearly sprouting from this tree: http://www.alexanderwild.com/Ants/Taxonomic-List-of-Ant-Genera/Iridomyrmex/i-6sqsxcd/A
Thanks for that link Alex. Those thick clumps of droopy leaves on the near side of the tree are mistletoe, most likely Box Mistletoe, Amyema miquelii (Family Loranthaceae).
Brilliant! That make more sense. I’ve updated the caption accordingly. Thanks!
That’s lovely! It immediately brought to mind the imaginary panic during the naming of the ‘Rainbow Mantis Shrimp’, which is also none of the three.
“What IS that?”
“I have NO idea, just throw some words on it and see what sticks”
Err. . peacock mantis shrimp. Rainbow mantis shrimp would be even more of a taxonomy fail, since now we’ve gone from matter to energy.
I do occasionally get the right names for things! Really!
This goes on the same level of this fail:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/06/post_605_n_792672.html
Pseudoscorpions are NOT “scorpion-spider bug hybrids”.