>>Perhaps Tucker became interested in malacology at a very early age?  :-)

Although "shell" entered my vocabulary about the same time as "mama" and "dada", I do not think Tucker had quite as early a start.

A few more abbottii definitely named before, not after R. Tucker include Aulacus abbottii Westwood 1841 [insect], Rhinopsis abbotti Westwood 1844 [insect, probably a new taxonomic assignment for Aulacus], Thyreus abbottii Swainson, 1821 [insect; Thyreus Swainson 1821 is a junior homonym as well as a senior homonym of a Philippi synonym of Pedicularia], Mus abbottii Waterhouse, 1838 [mammal], and Malacocincla abbottii Blyth, 1845 [bird].  All of these are listed in Sherborn's Index Animalium, 1801-1850, v. I.

A search for taxa actually named for R. Tucker will need to encompass the possibility of rtabbotti, rtuckerabbotti, etc.  I am not certain that this has happened to him, but there is a "Pecten" gilbertharrisi.


    Dr. David Campbell
    "Old Seashells"
    Biology Department
    Saint Mary's College of Maryland
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