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Decoding the naming of decapods
Added on 2025-11-19 10:51:53 by Vandepitte, Leen
Last year, DecaNet editors Sammy De Grave, Sancia van der Meij and the WoRMS Data Management Team, received a University of Oxford grant to unravel the quirks of scientific naming in decapod crustaceans.
Scientists have been naming species since 1758 and, although there are rules, taxonomists have always had plenty of creative freedom. As a result, decapod names draw inspiration from everywhere, including shape, colour, geography, fictional characters and celebrities, and even wine.
The team studied more than 250 years of naming practices in shrimps, crabs and lobsters often delving into centuries-old taxonomic papers. Over 22,000 decapod names were analysed, uncovering fascinating trends. Early taxonomists focused on morphology for naming decapods, but over time they increasingly favoured geographic references and eponyms (species named after people). Female scientists have been honoured in proportion to their presence in the field, suggesting no strong gender bias, and while colonial references do occur, they are rare—quite unlike patterns reported from other taxa.
All data has been made publicly available through the DecaNet portal of WoRMS for anyone to explore.
De Grave S, Cole E, van der Meij SET. 2025. Decoding the bare necessities of decapod crustacean nomenclature through the ages. PeerJ 13:e20337 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20337
Image: Mictyris brevidactylus; photograph by wj, Chen - CC-BY-NC-SA
The team studied more than 250 years of naming practices in shrimps, crabs and lobsters often delving into centuries-old taxonomic papers. Over 22,000 decapod names were analysed, uncovering fascinating trends. Early taxonomists focused on morphology for naming decapods, but over time they increasingly favoured geographic references and eponyms (species named after people). Female scientists have been honoured in proportion to their presence in the field, suggesting no strong gender bias, and while colonial references do occur, they are rare—quite unlike patterns reported from other taxa.
All data has been made publicly available through the DecaNet portal of WoRMS for anyone to explore.
De Grave S, Cole E, van der Meij SET. 2025. Decoding the bare necessities of decapod crustacean nomenclature through the ages. PeerJ 13:e20337 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20337
Image: Mictyris brevidactylus; photograph by wj, Chen - CC-BY-NC-SA
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