Known previously only by obscure scientific names, it is hoped the sea piglet, skeetle and scabious cuckoo bee will now be more memorable, and perhaps more cared about, due to their new, evocative names.

These are just three of ten winning names chosen from hundreds of entries for the Name a Species competition organised by Natural England, the Guardian and The Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Of the ten new names, the overall winner selected by the judging panel is the queen's executioner beetle. It's a large nocturnal beetle, found only in the Windsor area, that is thought to devour the larvae of other beetles.

Many UK species in danger of becoming extinct are referred to only by their, often hard to pronounce, scientific names because they have no common names.

The Name a Species competition was the writer and journalist, George Monbiot’s idea in the hope that giving species more memorable names will help people connect with nature. 

Haliclystus auricula is a beautiful stalked jellyfish that is now called the kaleidoscope jellyfish.

The sea piglet (Arrhis phylonyx) is a shrimp-like animal that lives in the deep sea.

The skeetle (Stenus longitarsis) is so-named because it makes a quick escape from predators using natural ‘jet skis’.

Usnea florida, a green hair-like lichen with medicinal properties has been named witches whiskers lichen.

Peligera venosa, a lichen that turns green when wet, is now known as pixie gowns lichen.

There is currently an exhibition of the ten newly-named species at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.