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June 16th, 2003
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Q. From John: I have some questions regarding the pronunciations of a few aquatic insects. For Baetis, I have heard this pronounced BAY-tis and BEE-tis. With Tricos, I have heard TREE-cos and TRY-cos. and for Chironomid, I have heard KUR-RON-O-Mid and CHUR-RON-O-Mid. Which of these is correct?
A.
You'll probably be surprised, but the answer is – all of them! Let me
explain. Although there are very strict rules (see below) for the correct way
to write these names, there are no definitive rules on pronouncing them. If
you attend a professional meeting of aquatic entomologists and listen to their
papers, you will hear different pronunciations of the same name. So, if the
experts can't agree, I wouldn't worry too much. For the examples you give,
the most common pronunciations are BAY-tis, TRY-cos, and either KYRO-nomids or
ky-RON-omids; seldom do you hear the first syllable pronounced CHUR.
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