New extant family of Rodentia

[Michael Vincent]

The new Rodentia story reminds me of a similar experience I had.  I once
described a new species of Penicillium that came to me in an amusing
way.  About 15 years ago, a new graduate student at Miami University came
from Egypt.  His wife, thinking that no garlic would be available in the
US, brought about a peck of garlic with her and somehow got it through
customs.  My mother-in-law hosted the new arrivals, and was given garlic as
a thank you gift.  She passed some of it along to my wife and me.  Mold
grew on it in our refrigerator.  I investigated the mold, determined that
it was undescribed, and published it as Penicillium allii.  The species
turns out to be a relatively common species in garlic, garlic fields, and
so on, worldwide.  So, a chance introduction and chance arrival in my
refrigerator resulted in the discovery of this new species!

M.A. Vincent

>>Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 08:19:36 -0500
>>From: Richard Jensen <rjensen at SAINTMARYS.EDU>
>>Subject: Re: New extant family of Rodentia
>>Sender: Taxacom Discussion List <TAXACOM at LISTSERV.NHM.KU.EDU>
>>To: TAXACOM at LISTSERV.NHM.KU.EDU
>>Reply-to: Richard Jensen <rjensen at SAINTMARYS.EDU>
>>Organization: Saint Mary's College
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>>Comments: To: Ken Kinman <kinman2 at YAHOO.COM>
>>Original-recipient: rfc822;lammers at UWOSH.EDU
>>
>>I'm not surprised that the meat market was the first clue.  This has
>>happened repeatedly in plant systematics - the first time a species was
>>observed *by a trained taxonomist* was in a local market.  The unusual
>>fruit/vegetable was investigated and found to represent a new species.
>>
>>Dick J.
>>
>>Ken Kinman wrote:
>>
>> > Dear All,
>> >       The paper on the new family of Rodentia has apparently been
>> online since about April 7th.  The printed version should be going out
>> this week (we shall see).  In any case, it is a little disturbing to
>> learn that this important new rodent was first discovered in a meat
>> market.  But then again, it probably isn't being persecuted the way the
>> passenger pigeon was.  Got to put it into a broader historical perspective.
>> >   ---Ken Kinman
>>
>>--
>>Richard J. Jensen              | tel: 574-284-4674
>>Department of Biology      | fax: 574-284-4716
>>Saint Mary's College         | e-mail: rjensen at saintmarys.edu
>>Notre Dame, IN 46556    | http://www.saintmarys.edu/~rjensen
>
>Thomas G. Lammers, Ph.D.
>
>Assistant Professor and Curator of the Herbarium (OSH)
>Department of Biology and Microbiology
>University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
>Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901-8640 USA
>
>e-mail:       lammers at uwosh.edu
>phone:      920-424-1002
>fax:           920-424-1101
>
>Plant systematics; classification, nomenclature, evolution, and
>biogeography of the Campanulaceae s. lat.
>
>Webpages:
>http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/Lammers.htm
>http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/herbarium/herbarium.html
>http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Resort/7156/lammers.html
>-----------------------------------------------------------
>"Today's mighty oak is yesterday's nut that stood his ground."
>                                                               -- Anonymous

Dr. Michael A. Vincent, Curator
W.S. Turrell Herbarium (MU)
Department of Botany
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056 USA
TEL: 513-529-2755
FAX: 513-529-4243
Email: VincenMA at MUOhio.edu
My web page: http://www.cas.muohio.edu/botany/bot/mike.html
Herbarium web page: http://www.units.muohio.edu/herbarium/
Botany Department: http://www.cas.muohio.edu/botany/