New nudibranch gets Christmassy name
Julstjärnenuding (Christmas star nudibranch) is now the official Swedish common name of the new species of nudibranch Hancockia uncinata discovered off Tjärnö Marine Laboratory in late November. Kennet Lundin, curator at the Gothenburg Museum of Natural History and associate professor at the Department of Marine Sciences, came up with the suggestion.
How did you come up with the name?
“I received photos from Ulf Jondelius at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. The slug was found when he was teaching a course with students from Stockholm University at the Tjärnö Marine Laboratory in November. Around the same time, I received a request from our communications officer, who wanted a new Christmas greeting from our museum, and that's when I thought of this nudibranch. It’s very red and beautiful, and it looks like it has stars on its back. So I submitted the proposal ‘Christmas star nudibranch’ to the Swedish Species Information Centre naming committee, and they agreed. Usually, they name an entire group at the same time, but in this case, we had worked with nudibranchs quite a bit before, so it went quickly.”
This is a new species for Sweden, so why is it turning up here now?
“It’s one of several species that have moved northwards to our waters, and will see more of in the future. This is partly due to climate change and warmer seas. We have received reports that the ‘Christmas star nudibranch’ have also been found in south-western Norway, as well as more reported sightings from England. This fits in with the overall picture that many species spread naturally when conditions change. Another example is the short-snouted seahorse."
What challenges are there in giving Swedish names to new species?
"The Swedish Species Information Centre naming committee has around twenty different guidelines to follow, so there’s a lot to consider. The name should be timeless, geographical names and proper names should be avoided, as should words such as ‘common’. This is because things can change – a species can become uncommon. Much of the work is actually about describing the species' characteristic features: what it looks like, what properties it has, and where it lives. One example is the sand nudibranch, Pseudovermis schultzi, which is also a new species that Ulf Jondelius found in November. It lives in sand, which is unusual for nudibranchs, and so it got its name because of that."
Why do you think the Christmas star nudibranch is getting so much attention?
"It shows how important it is to find the right name, and now it happened at just the right time – just in time for Christmas. Swedish names also give species an identity, which I think is important. It's also cool that we now have 100 species of nudibranchs in Swedish waters!"
Do you have any more examples of Christmassy species names?
"Yes, we have both the ‘röd julklappsmask’ och ‘större julklappsmask’ (Red Christmas gift worm, Tubulanus annulatus and Large Christmas gift worm, Tubulanus superbus). They got their names because they look like Christmas presents, even though they are slender. And then we have the ‘tomtemask’ (Santa worm, Glycinde nordmanni) and I think the ‘stjärnkottnuding’ (Star pinecone nudibranch, Doto hystrix) qualifies as well."
Writer: Mikael Andersson
