Tag Archive for 'Taxonomy'

Auction of the Blue

Published
by
Jason
on September 4, 2007
in Life Oddquatic
. 3 Comments

Blue Auction Presentation[via Practical Fishkeeping]

The way that taxonomy normally works, the person that describes a new species also gets to give it a new name. This bit of binomial classification is often a staid affair, although sometimes it can get a little silly. However, some researchers have cottoned on to the idea of selling off the privilege of naming rights to raise funds for more research. And this scheme recently gained a little more chic with the addition of Chrisite’s as the auctioneer and the patronage of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.

The Blue Auction is an historical event offering individuals, companies and organizations the opportunity to bid for the privilege of having their name (or a name of their choice) forever attributed to new marine life species recently discovered off the coasts of the Bird’s Head Seascape in Indonesia by Conservation International.

A total of 12 lots shall be auctioned by Christie’s, and the proceeds will benefit marine conservation programs associated with the long-term preservation of such species as well as other environment and biodiversity-related programs. Participation to the gala event is for qualified bidders and by invitation only. Donations from interested parties and unsuccesful bidders are welcome.

Auction lots include:

To see the habitat that these funds will be used to protect, check out the interactive photo essay over at National Geo.

So how much would you pay to name a new species? Which of these organisms do you think will get the highest bid? I reckon the shark will be the most sought after. And what about this whole notion about selling off naming rights? Is nothing sacred? Or is the whole notion of binomial classification fundamentally flawed anyway?

What The Shell Is That? #1

Published
by
Jason
on September 2, 2007
in What The Shell?
. 2 Comments

I am starting another new feature here on the Cephaloblog, one that I hope will become a regular edition. I am calling it, What the Shell is That?

My inspiration comes from the weekly blog arcs of folks like PZ Myers (Friday Cephalopod), Peter and Craig (Friday Deep-Sea Picture), Rick MacPherson (Monday Moray) and Martin Brummell (Friday Fish), to name just a few.

The focus of What the Shell will be on things I find at the beach. Living on the southwest coast of Florida, that means mostly molluscs, especially bivalve (clam) and gastropod (snail) shells. But it could also be skate eggs, algae or nurdles. Anything in the intertidal is fair game, and not just dead things on the beach either.

Note, I am not a professional malacologist or a competent conchologist. Just a curious beachcomber looking to get outside more to search the surf and share with you. I am not interested in collecting live shells, just taking pictures and leaving only footprints/bubbles. I hope to post one entry each weekend, the day depending on when I can hit the beach.

Florida Horse Conch (Triplofusus gigantea)

Florida horse conch (Triplofusus gigantea) [240x180, 25K]

The official state shell of Florida is neither a horse (obviously) nor a true conch (not so obviously) nor is it limited to just Florida. True conchs are in the family Strombidae, but horse conchs, along with the tulip shells, are in the spindle shell family Fasciolariidae. Up until recently this particular animal was known as Pleuroploca gigantea. I am still not certain what prompted the change in taxonomy.

I suspect it is called a horse conch because it is the largest snail in North America. These animals grow up to two feet long and are voracious predators of other marine snails.

The individual pictured above was a juvenile, approximately 3 inches long (7.5 cm) found half-way in the water on a piece of drift wood.

Some questions I am still seeking the answers to:

  • Why is the horse conch orange? How does it get this distinctive color.
  • As an adult, why does it have such a flakey periostracum?
  • Why is the horse conch so large?
  • Why the change from Pleuroploca to Triplofusus?

References

Additional Links

UPDATE: bobsonguam now informs me that Pleuroploca papillosa is being considered.

Fish Name Spellchecker for MS Word

Published
by
Jason
on June 15, 2007
in Uncategorized
. 1 Comment

The American Fisheries Society is offering a free custom spellchecker/dictionary of the common and scientific names of North American fishes. Currently compatible only with Microsoft Word documents.

New FL Exhibit on Megalodon: Largest Shark that Ever Lived

Published
by
Jason
on June 1, 2007
in All Wild Right Outside and Events
. 4 Comments

060218_meg
Backside of a fossil sharks tooth, one of the largest ever excavated in Florida. On display at the Paleo Preserve (www.paleopreserve.org).

The Florida Museum of Natural History will soon open a new exhibit called Megalodon: Largest Shark that Ever Lived

At about 60 feet long, Megalodon was the largest shark that ever lived. The dominant marine predator vanished 2 million years ago, but its story inspires lessons for ocean conservation today.

Visitors enter a full-size sculpture of Megalodon through massive jaws. Once inside, they will discover this shark’s history and the world it inhabited.

The exhibit opens June 16 and runs through January 6, 2008.

[via FMSEA]

Buy a New Species Name for a Loved One

Published
by
Jason
on April 9, 2007
in Uncategorized
. 1 Comment

[via Metafilter]

If you are interested in sponsoring a species, BIOPAT will consider giving it the name of your choice. Not sure about the legitimacy of this organization, but I can understand the impetus. Funding for taxonomy is pretty scarce. However, it is kind of contrary to the ideal of noble science. Still, binomial classification is increasingly becoming antiquated anyway.

By making a minimum donation of Euro 2,600, you officially assume the status of sponsor. You are then given a receipt which indicates the charitable nature of the donation and is therefore usable for tax-deduction purposes. At the same time, you receive a provisional certificate designating you as the sponsor of the new species you have selected.

  • offers donors the opportunity of sponsoring a newly discovered animal or plant species and of giving this a scientific name of their own choice
  • agrees sponsors’ choice of names with the researchers responsible for identifying the new species
  • maintains a scientific Advisory Council that verifies the bona fides of the co-operating researchers and issues recommendations as to whether a particular species should be included in the BIOPAT sponsorship scheme. The Advisory Council is made up of staff from various research institutes. External specialists dealing with particular taxonomical groups may be brought in to help with the appraisal process.
  • ensures that the names suggested by donors are allocated in a scientifically sound and formally correct manner
  • provides sponsors with documentary proof of their personal choice of name for the new species in question

Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature

Published
by
Jason
on December 22, 2006
in Uncategorized
. 1 Comment

Mark Isaak’s delightful site gathers together evidence of the perverse humor that lurks within many taxonomists.

Scientific names of organisms are not usually known for their entertainment value. They are indispensable for clarity in communication, but most people skip over them with barely a glance. Here I collect those names that are worth a second look.

A mere sampling of this trove of wonders:

  • Abra cadabra (Eames & Wilkins) 1957 (clam) Now, alas, in the genus Theora.
  • Aha ha Menke, 1988 (sphecid)
  • Ittibittium Houbrick, 1993 (mollusc) These are smaller than molluscs of the genus Bittium.
  • Notnops, Taintnops, Tisentnops Platnick, 1994 (caponiid spiders) These Chilean spiders were originally placed in the genus Nops, but Platnick separated them into these new genera when he reexamined them.
  • Ptomaspis, Dikenaspis, Ariaspis (Devonian armored jawless fish) Remove the “-aspis” to see the pun.
  • Vini vidivici Steadman & Zarriello, 1987 (a recently extinct parrot from the Marquesas Islands) The genus Vini has been in use since 1831.

I am sure it’s in there somewhere, but one of my favorites is the Jackknife fish (Equetus lanceolatus). There is also the recent classification of several slime-mold beetles named after Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld and another beetle after Darth Vader. Of course some folks argue that a little less frivolity and a little more serious abstraction is needed in regards to classification.

See also:

UPDATE: This just in from the folks over at TONMO:

The scientific name for the wonderpus is Wonderpus photogenicus From work that will soon be published by Hochberg, Norman, Finn.