Dear Craig,

Yes, they are strange names and it would be nice if they weren't in the Dictionary! However, the Dictionary is a collection of checklists and aims to accurately reflect what is in those checklists. 'Large Garden' and 'Breckland Garden' also occur on the BSBI website. And yes, I am afraid that different lists may employ different common names: badger on one, European Badger on another.

With regard to syntax, plural (vernacular) names are lowercase; so: Goose, geese.

Best wishes,

Charles Hussey

NBN Species Dictionary Project Manager (Retired!)

Surely this is a matter, in the main, of communication ??

The first examples given by Craig are as follows:

Thymus polytrichus is "Wild Garden"
T. pulegioides is "Large Garden"
T. serpyllum is "Breckland Garden"

Aren't these merely shorthand  versions of "Wild Garden Thyme", "Large Garden Thyme" and "Breckland Garden Thyme" in which BSBI have missed out the word "Thyme" because they felt it was so obvious as the Genus was "Thymus" and thereby unnecessary to add for tehir Botanist members?  So, in cases like these when recorders report them to the NBN, or when NBN staff notice them themselves, why can't they be reported to the List owner for correction/amendation and resubmission - not difficult surely ??

Craig's second set of examples are another matter altogether.  In my opinion some of these (shown below) are fine:

Clinopodium  - Calamint Cultivar
Lepidoptera - Unidentified Lepidopteran
Odonata - Indet Dragon/Damselfly
Diptera - Indet. Fly
Coleoptera - beetles (most other common names are singular and capitalised)
Amphipoda - Amphipod tubes
Ciconiiformes - Ciconiformes

I find it hard to believe that many, if any, LRC will accept records purely identified at Order level BUT if we assume there are such 'poor' records in the system then I think the English/Common Name of some of the above seem fine (e.g. Calamint Cultivar, Unidentified Lepidopteran), Indet. Dragon/Damselfly, Indet. Fly).  In fact, I would go as far as to say that some standardisation of term here would be useful and would suggest that the term "Indet." is the better compared to "Unidentified" and that the following term should be in English - so I would prefer to see "Indet. Butterfly / Moth", "Indet. Dragonfly / Damselfly, Indet. True Fly, Indet. Beetle, etc.).  I am not really familiar with Amphipoda nor Ciconiiformes so would not wish to comment further on these final 2 examples  but would suggest that something similar could be used.  Again, NBN staff could/should communicate with the relevant List owner/provider having spotted such areas or been apprised of them by recorders and contributors to the NBN Gateway, etc.

Getting all the dictionaries  (Lists) up to scratch has progressed well over the last few years but refinements will take a lot longer and we all need to keep communicating and pushing for updates, name additions, and corrections where necessary.  Communication on dictionary elements and changes MUST be a two way affair between the NBN Dictionary staff and the List Owners !!

Steve,