A biologist can do little not knowing the name of a species, which is why taxonomy is such an important area of study; without it biology would be as a ship without a rudder. EO Wilson defines the job of the taxonomist thus:

A skilled taxonomist is not just a museum labeler. He is a world authority, often the world authority since there are so few taxonomists, on the group he has chosen. He is the steward and spokesman for a hundred, or a thousand, species. Other scientist come to him to seek entry to his taxon . . . . He knows not only the classification but also the anatomy. physiology, behavior, biogeography, and evolutionary history of the group, in fine detail both published and unpublished. . . . No CD-ROM, no encyclopedia can replace the taxonomic expert.

EO Wilson,
Naturalist, Chapter-11 The Form of Things Unknown;

(Warner Books, 1995).

So, a taxonomic expert cannot be replaced. Surely, though, there must be some way in which a shadow of this relational knowledge can be preserved beyond the life of such an expert, some way in which a trail of breadcrumbs can be laid during the taxonomist's working life?