Most nonvenomous snakes discovered in North America in the early 18th century were assigned to the genus Coluber , Latin for snake. As their relationship to other species were determined, other genera began to appear. The species name for the eastern or chain king snake and its allies started as L. getula , then it was L. getulus , and now it's L. getula , again. The reason for the change, or so I am told, has to do with gender agreement. As a career bachelor, I can appreciate the term gender disagreement all too well.
Some scientific names are actually mistakes.
In the last article, I said that scholars from different countries used Latin in order to communicate clearly. Well, I'm reminded of a conversation that took place 10 years ago. Sounds more like a dinosaur. A few moments later, a little 20-watt light bulb began to materialize above my head. So my dear faithful, I have misled you a bit.