New Catfish Species Named For Museum Mail Supervisor; 'I Was Impressed By Frank's Dedication'

New Catfish Species Named For Museum Mail Supervisor; 'I Was Impressed By Frank's Dedication'

Source: Underwatertimes

6/9/2008

New Catfish Species Named For Museum Mail Supervisor; 'I Was Impressed By Frank's Dedication'

He's not well known like President Bush and musician Neil Young, but Philadelphian Frank Gallagher now has something in common with them: He has a new species named after him.

Gallagher was The Academy of Natural Sciences' affable mailroom supervisor for 37 years before retiring in 2003. "They used to call me 'the grapevine,'" said Gallagher, because he not only distributed the mail to the staff but also passed along the latest gossip. Now he is the inspiration for Rhinodoras gallagheri, a new species of catfish described by Academy fish scientist Dr. Mark Sabaj Pérez in the March issue of Copeia.

New species often are named for prominent scientists, generous benefactors or even spouses. A biologist recently named a new trapdoor spider after popular singer-songwriter Neil Young. A few years ago an entomologist named a new slime-mold beetle after the president. Rarely, if ever, has a new species been named for a postman.

"I wanted to honor Frank for his many years of dedicated service to the global community of taxonomists and systematists in handling the shipping and receiving of countless loans of biological specimens," said Sabaj Pérez, who manages the Academy's collection of 1.3 million fish. "I was impressed by Frank's dedication, his love for fellow employees, and his keen interest in the science we do. I simply thought, here is a guy who should be honored with his own catfish."

Continue...

News Id		Source	Stamp	country
4701	Farmed Salmon Could Become an Invasive Species in Forest Streams	Underwatertimes	2007-03-08	US
4702	Thames 'clean enough' for salmon	bbc news	2007-03-26	UK
4703	Study: Fish 'Catch Shares' Scheme Reduces By-catch, Increases Per-Boat Revenue, Boosts Safety	Underwatertimes	2007-03-28	US
4704	Chesapeake Bay receives another D+ on health report, due largely to struggling rockfish population	baltimore sun	2021-01-05	US
4705	Royal Navy sends four warships into English Channel	daily mail	2021-01-02	UK
4706	Massive operation nets fleet of illegal fishers	the age	2006-04-06	AU
4707	Gender-changing fish are studied	United Press International	2006-04-11	US
4708	Scientists Try to Count Fish in Sea	Washington Post	2006-04-10	US
4709	30 New Fish Species Discovered On Borneo; 'The More We Look the More We Find'	Underwatertimes	2006-12-19	SW
4710	Climate Change has Surprising Effect on Endangered Naked Carp; 'Metabolic Holiday'	Underwatertimes	2006-12-19	US
4711	Snakeheads Appear at Home in the Potomac	washington post	2006-10-02	US
4712	Farming endangered blue-fin tuna	bbc news	2006-12-27	JP
4713	World First as Endangered Fish Population Recovers; Shortnose Sturgeon Numbers Up 400%	Underwatertimes	2007-02-06	US
4714	Chips plan to keep an eye on fish	bbc news	2006-10-16	CA
4715	Scientists: First Documented Spawning of White Fish in the Detroit River Since 1900s	underwatertimes	2006-10-17	US
4716	Study: Critical Nutrients in Ecosystems Change when Fish Become Extinct	underwatertimes	2007-03-27	CA
4717	'No debate' that fish farms kill wild salmon, says B.C. scientist	CBC News	2006-10-20	CA
4718	A Swarm of Biologically-inspired Little Underwater Explorers	harvard	2021-01-15	US
4719	Scientists discover electric eels hunting in a group	Smithsonian	2021-01-14	BZ
4720	Robot fish equipped with tiny cameras could change ocean rescues	ctvnews	2021-01-13	CA
4721	The B.C. fish you've likely never heard of that's confounding trawlers and officials	CBC News	2021-01-03	US
4722	Thai Fishermen Break Ranks, Vow to Resume Hunt of Endangered Mekong Catfish; 'We Need to Make A Living'	underwatertimes	2006-03-04	TH
4723	Despite rescue effort, Maine salmon may be facing extinction	underwatertimes	2006-01-31	CA
4724	One fish, two fish: New sensor improves fish counts	underwatertimes	2006-02-02	US
4725	Scientists: Evolutionary Origin of Fins, Limbs Discovered; 'This Confirms a Lovely Idea'	underwatertimes	2006-07-26	US

188 of [217 - pages.]