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

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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

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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

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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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