Birmingham woman names endangered British species

Aug 31 2010 by Sophie Cross, Birmingham Mail

A NATURE-loving Birmingham woman has won the chance to give an endangered British species a common name to help save it from extinction.

Lisa Bassett, from Sutton Coldfield, came up with the name “Witches’ whiskers” for a type of lichen when she entered a “Name a Species” competition organised by Natural England.

The organism, renowned for its medicinal qualities, is one of ten endangered species of native lichens, beetles, bees, jellyfish and shrimps now enjoying new titles after previously only being listed in Latin.

It is hoped the common names will help the public become more familiar with species the country is in danger of losing.

Lisa’s lichen was previously only known by its Latin name, Usnea florida.

Describing how she came up with the name, Lisa said: “The lichen looks hairy, and the witches who would have been making the plant into medicines – at least in the stories – would have been warty and whiskery.” The competition’s overall winner was Josh Clare from Market Drayton, who named a larvae-eating beetle found only in Windsor Great Park “Queen’s executioner”.

Natural England say 430 species have become extinct in England over the last 200 years.

Chief scientist Dr Tom Tew said: “The continued decline of biodiversity in England is a seriously worrying issue as every species matters – from the newly-named sea piglet to the more familiar hedgehog.

“Biodiversity is the foundation of our own existence and we cannot afford to take it for granted, which is why we are getting the issue out from under the microscope and into the limelight.”

All ten species will be on display at an exhibition in Oxford’s Museum of Natural History.

Other winning names included “Skeetle”, a beetle that escapes predators using natural “jet skis”; “Mab’s lantern”, a rare four-spotted beetle; “St John’s jellyfish”, a tiny 1cm jellyfish in the shape of a Maltese cross and “Scabious cuckoo bee”, which lays its eggs in the nests of other bees.

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2010/08/31/birmingham-woman-names-endangered-british-species-97319-27167390/