How Do You Describe Something?

[siteseer]

Yeah, this reminds me of something my mom told me when I was a kid. You shouldn't pray for yourself. You pray for other people. Don't get me wrong, though. I can understand a collector finding something new to science and wanting to have it named after him or his family in general. Maybe Dad or Grandma found some scientifically-important fossils years before but never got recognized for it and maybe it's important to you because they're gone now.

However, one thing I think about whenever I find something still largely coated in matrix but looks weird only to get washed off later and exposed as something not that weird (and with an already well-traveled name) is that there are plenty of other amateurs who have done more for science and who have never been officially recognized for their efforts and/or donations. I hope if I ever find and donate something that appears to be new to science I will have the grace to suggest to the paleontologist that if it is to be described (eventually), that it should be named after someone else I know or know of who is more deserving (though I like the ring of "Duranodon").

In a related story...a friend who donated numerous significant specimens and assisted paleontologists on digs in the 1960's drifted away from paleontology as he started to raise a family in the early 1970's. Two years ago, I picked up a 1990 publication that included an article describing some Late Pliocene birds and I noticed his name among the species. Sure enough, the etymology stated that the bird was named after him in particular. I figured he knew about it but mentioned that I found the publication. He was surprised to say the least because no one ever told him. I tried to find the paleontologist on his behalf because he wanted to thank him but he seems to have disappeared - hopefully enjoying a quiet life somewhere. The moral of the story is you could end up getting something named after you whether you push for it or not, whether you know it or not.

Of course, the thing about scientific names is that they are technically just proposals (formal though they may be) forever open to question. Many names, especially genera and species, have been found later to be invalid (one person's species is another's minor variation) though they will continue to exist as junior synonyms - just no longer the official names.

As a final note, "species" is both the singular and the plural form.

In naming a new specie the author of the paper describing the new specie may honor a request of the finder to name the fossil after them. Be aware though that most authors describing a new specie perfer to give the specie a name that reflects the geographical location of where the fossil was found i.e. Lopha travisana after Travis County, Texas, or a morphological feature of the fossil i.e. Distorsio septemdentata for the seven teeth in the outer lip of the aperature of the snail, or the geological horizon where the fossil was found i.e. Scycospira eocensis, or in honor of a fellow researcher for previous contributions i.e. Pholadomya harrisi, a clam named for G.D. Harris, an early 20th century Paleontologist.

[Sinopaleus]

i bet duranodon is named after durian!!

hmm, i guess i should show dr. li my fossil... hopefully it will be known as a new species

thanks all