Come on man, it's only a clam!

[BobWill]

These used to be called Aviculopinna subspatulata but Dr. Thomas Yancey at Texas A&M University knew that was wrong. He had recognized that the whole Pinnid family was a real mess with poor descriptions based on incomplete specimens and bad taxonomic grouping which had them in need of a gross reorganization.

 

When he saw this 2 foot (60 cm) specimen I found 8 years ago at Jacksboro Texas he was inspired to take on the task and it took him 5 years to complete. I eventually sent along smaller pieces from the loose shale at the site but this was in a huge limestone boulder and took me 4 trips to the site to get it out.

 

Dr. Yancey gathered specimens of pinnids donated by other collectors and loaned from museums across the country and Germany. He named 13 new species and 7 new genera in his manuscript Revision of Late Paleozoic Pinnid Genera and North American Species of Bivalve Family Pinnidae just published in the "Bulletins of American Paleontology."

 

Now this is called Falcatopinna bobwilliamsi and as soon as I figure out how to pronounce the genus people will be begging me to stop boasting about it  Forum member @cngodles also got a species named after him and a geologist friend Jim Flis got a species and a genus memorializing his efforts on the project. If that name sounds familiar, you may know his son, Chris, @dinodigger now head of the Whiteside Museum in Seymore Texas.

 

Edited September 3 by BobWill

[TqB]

Wonderful! And a superb shell.

[Fin Lover]

Congratulations!

[digit]

 

Science often moves slowly (and precisely) but it usually gets there in the end. 

 

Another win for fossils with a collaboration between the avocational and professional paleontologists.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[historianmichael]

Congratulations Bob!!

[Jeffrey P]

Big congratulations, Bob. A well deserved honor for all of your work. Keep exploring!

[Pagurus]

  Impressive find and contribution. Go ahead and boast. Well done!

[FranzBernhard]

Nothing wrong with shells .

Congrats!
Franz Bernhard

[Ludwigia]

Isn't it nice being immortalized?

[FossilDAWG]

Congratulations, and thanks for your efforts!  "bobwilliamsi" has a nice ring to it!

 

Don

[Yoda]

@BobWill

Fantastic. Really cool

[digit]

1 hour ago, cngodles said:

hoped for an acknowledgment at best but didn't think it would be named in my honor.

Nice, a twofer!

 

As staff, I hereby declare today National Pen Shell Day.

 

Great going guys!

 

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[cngodles]

2 minutes ago, digit said:

As staff, I hereby declare today National Pen Shell Day.

 

Yancey names seven (7) new genera and 13 new species in the paper. I'm not sure how much of an increase that is, but I suspect it is more than double.

(He describes ten (10) total genera and 31 species in the paper)

Also, PS, I was not trying to snipe @BobWill's post ; we've actually been talking about this paper for years. Didn't learn about the names until July, though.

[BobWill]

2 minutes ago, cngodles said:

 

Yancey names seven (7) new genera and 13 new species in the paper. I'm not sure how much of an increase that is, but I suspect it is more than double.

(He describes ten (10) total genera and 31 species in the paper)

Also, PS, I was not trying to snipe @BobWill's post ; we've actually been talking about this paper for years. Didn't learn about the names until July, though.

Tom sent me a signed copy but I don't know how many he gets free.  I was hoping you would chime in but you also need to post your own topic here so you get proper acknowledgement. 

[JamieLynn]

Incredible!! Congrats!! 

[Denis Arcand]

Well done!

[JohnJ]

A 2 foot long clam is amazing on its own!  Congratulations, Bob!

[DPS Ammonite]

Wow! Congratulations.

 

Bob, did you or any others find other pieces of the same species clam?  Rarely is only one of a species found.

[Mikrogeophagus]

Very nice @BobWill!

[Al Dente]

Congratulations.

[Kohler Palaeontology]

Congrats!!!

 

Isn't that every fossil hunter's dream, to have a species named after you 

 

Kind Regards,

Kohler Palaeontology

[BobWill]

7 hours ago, DPS Ammonite said:

Wow! Congratulations.

 

Bob, did you or any others find other pieces of the same species clam?  Rarely is only one of a species found.

Yes John, the original name was applied to some partial specimens that were very poorly preserved so this find gave Tom a more thorough description. Also, the old name, Avoculopinna, is now only applied to Permian species. I did also find some more examples at Jacksboro with characters that were distinctive enough to include in the study and just last week found this partial at a new site, new for me, Dr. Nestell knew about it, also Finis Shale. Tom confirmed it from the curved margin which provided the etymology for the genus name, falcate for inward curved blade or talon.

 

Edited September 4 by BobWill

[BobWill]

8 hours ago, JohnJ said:

A 2 foot long clam is amazing on its own!  Congratulations, Bob!

I was personally shocked but it didn't get much love from the FOTM contest when I found it  

[Jaybot]

Congrats!  Nice that you found someone willing to work on bivalves, as from what I heard not many paleontologists are willing to work on Brachiopods / bivalves.

 

Speaking of organizing a taxonomic mess, Paleozoic shark/ cartilaginous fish teeth also need a lot of work….  

[old bones]

Congratulations!