bˌoʊθɹəkˈɑːɹɹə ɪz ɐ kˈɑːmpaʊnd ʌv bˈoʊθɹoʊz, wˌɪtʃ mˈiːnz "pˈɪt" ɔːɹ "tɹˈɛntʃ", ænd kˈɑːɹɹə, mˈiːnɪŋ hˈɛd, ɐn ɐlˈuːʒən tə ðə lˈɑːɹdʒ pˈoːɹz ɐlˈɔŋ dʒˈɔːz ænd ɹˈiːtʃɪŋ bˈæk tə ðɪ ˈɑːpɚkjˌʊləm ɪn bˈiː. mˈɑːliz.
Bothrocara is a compound of bothros, which means "pit" or "trench", and kara, meaning head, an allusion to the large pores along jaws and reaching back to the operculum in B. mollis.