Have you ever wondered who decided that your slightly dopey Canis lupis familiaris would be known universally as a dog, or the cascading Salix babylonica in your back garden would probably trip off the tongue better if we just called it a Weeping Willow, or that we might as well call a Coccinellidae a Ladybird?

No? Well neither had we.

Most people don’t really give a thought to the Latin based scientific names of the plants, animals, insects and general life forms with whom we share this world … except for the scientists of course, but believe it or not, it’s thought that about 55,000 species exist in Britain alone. That’s a whole lot of Latin.

The vast majority of these don’t actually have common names; mainly for the reason that they’re not that common, and known only to a handful of experts. These experts have also taken the liberty of noticing that a large number of these species are in decline. You obviously don’t need us to tell you, but we’re talking obviously about things like the Nomada armata, the Lucernariopsis cruxmelitensis, or perhaps that four-spotted ground beetle, Philorhizus quadrisignatus.

Working on the premise that common names of our native species can help raise the profile of animals or plants that would otherwise go unnoticed, Oxford University Museum of Natural History have teamed up with Natural England and the Guardian newspaper to do something about it.

To mark what is apparently ‘International Year for Biodiversity’, they’ve put together a list of 10 species that are recognised as endangered or threatened, but play an important role in our ecosystem. The list includes beetles, a bee, a couple of jellyfish, a shrimp and two lichen. They’ve then asked the public to come up with suitable names which will be entered into a competition, with the most appropriate / best names being chosen by a panel of expert judges.

If you go to the Guardian website, you can read up about each particular species and have a look at a picture, to help inspire you. They’ve also added some helpful naming tips, and things to consider before choosing your names.

So get thinking, and you never know, the next time you’re sitting in the pub with a few fellow Homo sapiens you can tell them that you were responsible for naming the extremely rare leaf beetle, Cryptocephalus punctiger.