diff --git a/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/MetadataService.groovy b/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/MetadataService.groovy
index b8e7781a3..02f9885cb 100644
--- a/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/MetadataService.groovy
+++ b/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/MetadataService.groovy
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ class MetadataService {
     SpeciesReMatchService speciesReMatchService
     HubService hubService
     ProjectService projectService
+    RecordService recordService
 
     /**
      * @deprecated use versioned API to retrieve activity form definitions
@@ -896,17 +897,13 @@ class MetadataService {
         data
     }
 
-    Map autoPopulateSpeciesData (Map data, int limit = 10) {
+    Map autoPopulateSpeciesData (Map data) {
         String searchName = (data?.scientificName)?.trim()
         if (!data?.guid && (searchName)) {
-            def result = speciesReMatchService.searchBie(searchName, limit)
-            // find the name that exactly matches the search name
-            def bestMatch = result?.autoCompleteList?.find {
-                it.matchedNames?.findResult { String name ->
-                    name.equalsIgnoreCase(searchName)
-                            || name.equalsIgnoreCase(data.name)
-                            || name.equalsIgnoreCase(data.commonName)
-                }
+            Map bestMatch = speciesReMatchService.searchByName(searchName)
+            if(!bestMatch && data.commonName) {
+                String commonName = data.commonName
+                bestMatch = speciesReMatchService.searchByName(commonName, false, true)
             }
 
             if (bestMatch) {
@@ -917,7 +914,7 @@ class MetadataService {
         }
 
         if(!data?.name) {
-            data.name = data?.commonName ? data?.scientificName + '(' + data?.commonName + ')' : data?.scientificName
+            data.name = recordService.formatTaxonName(data, RecordService.SCIENTIFIC_NAME_COMMON_NAME)
         }
 
         data
diff --git a/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/RecordService.groovy b/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/RecordService.groovy
index c869a39c3..02e51e888 100644
--- a/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/RecordService.groovy
+++ b/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/RecordService.groovy
@@ -45,6 +45,10 @@ class RecordService {
 
     final def ignores = ["action", "controller", "associatedMedia"]
     private static final List<String> EXCLUDED_RECORD_PROPERTIES = ["_id", "activityId", "dateCreated", "json", "outputId", "projectActivityId", "projectId", "status", "dataResourceUid"]
+    static final String COMMON_NAME = 'COMMONNAME'
+    static final String SCIENTIFIC_NAME = 'SCIENTIFICNAME'
+    static final String COMMON_NAME_SCIENTIFIC_NAME = 'COMMONNAME(SCIENTIFICNAME)'
+    static final String SCIENTIFIC_NAME_COMMON_NAME = 'SCIENTIFICNAME(COMMONNAME)'
 
     def getProjectActivityService() {
         grailsApplication.mainContext.projectActivityService
@@ -1119,4 +1123,37 @@ class RecordService {
             commonService.updateProperties(output, props)
         }
     }
+
+    /** format species by specific type **/
+    String formatTaxonName (Map data, String displayType) {
+        String name = ''
+        switch (displayType){
+            case COMMON_NAME_SCIENTIFIC_NAME:
+                if (data.commonName && data.scientificName) {
+                    name = "${data.commonName} (${data.scientificName})"
+                } else if (data.commonName) {
+                    name = data.commonName
+                } else if (data.scientificName) {
+                    name = data.scientificName
+                }
+                break
+            case SCIENTIFIC_NAME_COMMON_NAME:
+                if (data.scientificName && data.commonName) {
+                    name = "${data.scientificName} (${data.commonName})"
+                } else if (data.scientificName) {
+                    name = data.scientificName
+                } else if (data.commonName) {
+                    name = data.commonName
+                }
+                break
+            case COMMON_NAME:
+                name = data.commonName ?: data.scientificName ?: ""
+                break
+            case SCIENTIFIC_NAME:
+                name = data.scientificName ?: ""
+                break
+        }
+
+        name
+    }
 }
diff --git a/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/SpeciesReMatchService.groovy b/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/SpeciesReMatchService.groovy
index d02361bc5..84f7e7bf2 100644
--- a/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/SpeciesReMatchService.groovy
+++ b/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/SpeciesReMatchService.groovy
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ class SpeciesReMatchService {
             }
 
             resp
-        })
+        }) as Map
     }
 
     Map searchByVernacularNameOnNameMatchingServer (String name) {
@@ -139,6 +139,6 @@ class SpeciesReMatchService {
             }
 
             resp
-        })
+        }) as Map
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/test/groovy/au/org/ala/ecodata/RecordServiceSpec.groovy b/src/test/groovy/au/org/ala/ecodata/RecordServiceSpec.groovy
index 1366bad26..53a8b36cb 100644
--- a/src/test/groovy/au/org/ala/ecodata/RecordServiceSpec.groovy
+++ b/src/test/groovy/au/org/ala/ecodata/RecordServiceSpec.groovy
@@ -68,5 +68,34 @@ class RecordServiceSpec extends MongoSpec implements ServiceUnitTest<RecordServi
         recordMap.recordNumber == "${prefix}/bioActivity/index/a1"
     }
 
+    def "formatTaxonName should format name based on displayType"() {
+        setup:
+        Map data = [commonName: commonName, scientificName: scientificName]
+
+        when:
+        String result = service.formatTaxonName(data, displayType)
+
+        then:
+        result == expectedName
+
+        where:
+        commonName         | scientificName       | displayType                         | expectedName
+        'Blackbird'        | 'Turdus merula'      | service.COMMON_NAME_SCIENTIFIC_NAME       | 'Blackbird (Turdus merula)'
+        'Blackbird'        | 'Turdus merula'      | service.SCIENTIFIC_NAME_COMMON_NAME       | 'Turdus merula (Blackbird)'
+        'Blackbird'        | 'Turdus merula'      | service.COMMON_NAME                       | 'Blackbird'
+        null               | 'Turdus merula'      | service.COMMON_NAME                       | 'Turdus merula'
+        'Blackbird'        | 'Turdus merula'      | service.SCIENTIFIC_NAME                   | 'Turdus merula'
+        null               | 'Turdus merula'      | service.SCIENTIFIC_NAME                   | 'Turdus merula'
+        null               | 'Turdus merula'      | service.COMMON_NAME_SCIENTIFIC_NAME       | 'Turdus merula'
+        null               | 'Turdus merula'      | service.SCIENTIFIC_NAME_COMMON_NAME       | 'Turdus merula'
+        'Blackbird'        | null                 | service.COMMON_NAME_SCIENTIFIC_NAME       | 'Blackbird'
+        'Blackbird'        | null                 | service.SCIENTIFIC_NAME_COMMON_NAME       | 'Blackbird'
+        'Blackbird'        | null                 | service.COMMON_NAME                       | 'Blackbird'
+        null               | null                 | service.COMMON_NAME                       | ''
+        null               | null                 | service.SCIENTIFIC_NAME                   | ''
+        null               | null                 | service.COMMON_NAME_SCIENTIFIC_NAME       | ''
+        null               | null                 | service.SCIENTIFIC_NAME_COMMON_NAME       | ''
+    }
+
 }