Dear Leslie, Harry and listers,
I did paraphrase a comment that Tucker made while he, the Sanibel
legend Ede Mugridge, and I were sitting around Ede's favorite table
just chatting. As I remember, Tucker said something like "every shell
in the western Atlantic has been described, at least twice." I have
never heard him say it in public and, if he has, I presume, as I
presumed then,that he did not mean it seriously. And I never heard
about the second "quote" that Leslie mentions until I read in this
forum.
In the last few weeks there have been two occasions in which a very
poor choice of words has been used in connection with two extremely
well respected malacologists: Dr Carlos de la Torre and Dr. R. Tucker
Abbott. I have blushed of embarrasement in front of my computer on
both occasions.
Emilio
>Hi Harry
>It was 1990'ish at AMU in So. Cal., and of course aimed at Dr. Ed Petuch.
>Although I was not in attendance either, I have heard it from numerous sources
>who were over the year, and the lines have probably become a bit of urban
>ledged over the years... Including a lecture a couple weeks back by Dr. Emilio
>Garcia. (who just so happened to use both of the quotes).
>
>Leslie
>
>-------------------------------------------------
>Dear Leslie,
>I never heard the quotation you cite below. I admit my attendance has
>been far from perfect at AMU/AMS meetings, however.
>
>Can you, or anyone else, give us a better fix on the context and time
>of this utterance? It seems uncharacteristic of Tucker although he
>was a conservative taxonomist.
>
>Harry
>
>-------------------------------------------------
>
>Hi Art
>Your right, every species has its day, and waning longevity.
>Regardless whether it is or was ever once abundant...
>Not every species will reproduce in sufficient quantities to every be
>considered abundant. Ant's are abundant, panthers are not...
>
>I know you didn't coin the phase I commented on... just propagated it.
>.. Abbott was fond to the line and used it frequently.
>He's the same feller who made other stupid blanket statements such as
>"there are no new species of Molluscs to be described in the Western Atlantic"
>(made from the podium at an AMU meeting)
>He also said that anything that was found and thought tobe new had probably
>already been described at least 3 times.
>
>Such rash blanket statements are ultimately riddled with error when taken
>wholesale, ... and as was in this case, aimed at another Malacologist who was
>not sitting back on his katookish and was actively describing new species...
>the vast majority of which have now stood the test of time. While he was
>locked in his own world of shuffling paper and specimens to create the BMSM,
>and running a publishing company.
>
>Leslie
>
>-------------------------------------------------
>
>Dear Leslie et al;-
>I shouldn't have used the word "only", and I remember his name as being Norm
>Paschal.
>Maybe one reason for rarity (not mentioned as yet) might be evolution.
>A species may be being replaced by an "upgrade". The older form might then
>become Rare.
> Art
>
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