I meant to tell everyone of this unusually derived name previously but I
couldn't find the paper, and then seeing Alan Solem's genus Ba reminded me
to find it.
 
The genus is Smeagol described by Frank Climo in 1980, it is a very
interesting type of small slug that lives interstitially in gravel beds in
New Zealand and Australia.
 
Frank's etymology is this - " The genus takes its name from the pallid,
sometimes subterranean Tolkien character Smeagol (whose alternative name is
Gollum), a pitiable humanoid who ultimately played a very important role in
saving 'Middle Earth' from the evil forces. The slug described below is far
more significant, phylogenetically, than its drab exterior indicates - hence
the analogy.
 
I think this is the best etymology of the many species I have seen
 
Regards
 
Stephanie Clark
 
******************************************************************************
Stephanie A. Clark
 
Invertebrate Identification
Unit 4/17 Morris Street
PO Box 418
Summer Hill, NSW 2130
Australia
 
phone  61 (02) 9799 5689  fax  61 (02) 9449 4085  mobile  0411 572388
email [log in to unmask]
 
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