Original name  
  Check ECoF  
  Current accepted name  
Yes
  Status  
Accepted name
  Status details  
senior synonym, original combination
  Status ref.  
  Etymology of generic noun  
  from ETYFish
Etymology not explained, although three possibilities, all problematical, have been proposed: (1) from the Greek geotragia, “eating of earth-like substances,” referring to how this lamprey, like other lampreys, uses its suctorial mouth to attach itself to submerged rocks and stones, thus creating the impression that it is feeding on the earth (problem: geotragia does not mean “earthy,” as in rocks and minerals, but “products of the earth,” such as grains and vegetables; (2) geo- (Gr.), earth, and atrium (L.), room, referring to this lamprey’s nest, presumably made of stones and pebbles assembled by one or both parents (problem: nest-building, while known in other river lampreys, was probably not known to Gray in 1851 and has not been documented for this species); (3) a variation of #2, proposed by Meagher (2010), referring to its discovery in underground chambers, in which it survives dry periods (problem: G. australis does not, nor does any other lamprey, aestivate, nor did Gray indicate it was discovered underground, although he did speculate whether the pouch was an adaptation to the “long drought of the Australian rivers”). See EthyFish.org for more details. (See ETYFish)
  Etymology of specific epithet  
  from ETYFish
Latin for southern, referring to South Australia, type locality. (See ETYFish)
  Link to references  
References using the name as accepted
  Link to other databases  

Note: ETYFish and FishBase started a collaboration to complete the etymology for all valid names of fishes. For the current update, the following groups were completed: hagfishes (Myxini), lampreys (Petromyzonti), chimaeras (Holocephali), and sharks (Squalomorphi). It is a work in progress, so the two websites may not be synchronized.

Scharpf, C. The ETYFish Project, Fish Name Etymology Database. https://www.etyfish.org
Please, report here on etymology issues.