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Re: NFC: Flag Fish




	I share Wright's consternation at this new name. It somehow has
come into common use on the rec.aquaria* newsgroups and it annoys me too!

Sajjad

On Tue, 23 Jan 2001, Wright Huntley wrote:

> Hi folks,
> 
> There's a very unfortunate tendency, just in the last year or two, to try to
> change the common name of *Jordanella floridae* from the one used in the
> hobby and the trade for over 100 years. Doing this has caused a lot of
> confusion that could be avoided by sticking to the more familiar one.
> 
> The sides of the colored-up male look a bit like the stars and stripes of
> the American flag. This earned this fish the name American-Flag Fish a long,
> long time ago.
> 
> It does not look anything like the flag of FL, so why insist on calling it
> the Florida Flag Fish? It ranges well outside that state, so location isn't
> a good reason for the renaming, either.
> 
> Bear with me folks. It's a pet peeve of mine. We need communication and
> understanding, not confusion and misdirection.
> 
> I was appalled to discover that this abortion of a name had even made it
> into Bob Goldstein's new book. [He can count on hearing from me, too, when
> we next get together!] A few more such publications, and the confusion level
> at the local stores will kill trade in this wonderful fish. [Fortunately,
> his book is so expensive no store will ever use it as a reference. :-)]
> 
> Unlike the guys in the SE and gulf coast, I can't go out and collect them,
> so I'm delighted when my local PetsMart turns up nice healthy juveniles.
> Please don't muddy things up by making up a new common name every year or
> two. OK? Since that's all the LFS will use, we have an obligation to help
> keep the market alive and stable by giving them stable names -- particularly
> for such nice fish.
> 
> [All you FL chauvinists can just aim your flame throwers at the left-over
> chads, OK?]
> 
> Cheers from wet (again) Fremont,
> 
> Wright
> 
> 



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