The first use of the specific name speciosus with reference to a fiddler crab appears to be Gonoplax speciosus from an unpublished manuscript residing in the library of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris by Christophe-Paulin de La Poix de Fréminville, referring specifically to a “new” species from Senegal. Because the manuscript was never published, the use of this name does not gain priority. The species referenced by Fréminville is today known as Afruca tangeri (Eydoux, 1835).
The same specific name was later used by Ives to describe a new American species, Gelasimus speciosus. Because the earlier use is a nomen nudum, this second use retains priority and is the proper name for the species Leptuca speciosa (Ives, 1891).