17 January 2024

Mellifera, Mellifica - I feel a campaign coming on...

"Mellifera" as in "honey-carrying" is something of a misnomer for honey bees. When Carl Linnaeus realised that "mellifica" would be more descriptive (as in "honey-making"), it was too late to change the fixed classification.

Many biological classification names are subject to change, though. In beekeeping, for example, Paenibacillus larvae was formerly Bacillus larvae.

I feel a campaign coming on...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Linnaeus


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