Slime-Mold Beetles Named for Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld

[Mr. McD]

U.S. President George Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld may not all get a library, airport or highway named after them. But each has a slime-mold beetle named in his honor.

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/511090/

Slime-Molds would be more appropriate.

[Nothing Without Hope]

1. Amazing! Unless it's totally tongue in cheek, this is a COMPLIMENT!!!

(snip)

The entomologists also named some of the new species after their wives and a former wife, Pocahontas, Hernan Cortez, the Aztecs, the fictional "Star Wars" villain Darth Vader ("who shares with A. vaderi a broad, shiny, helmetlike head"), Frances Fawcett (their scientific illustrator) and the Greek words for "ugly" and "having prominent teeth" and the Latin word for "strange." Many of the other names they used for the recently described beetles were derived from various geographic locations, such as California, Georgia and a few states in Mexico, and for various distinguishing features they discovered on the beetles.

The decision to name three slime-mold beetles after Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld, however, didn't have anything to do with physical features, says Quentin Wheeler, a professor of entomology and of plant biology at Cornell for 24 years until last October, but to pay homage to the U.S. leaders. "We admire these leaders as fellow citizens who have the courage of their convictions and are willing to do the very difficult and unpopular work of living up to principles of freedom and democracy rather than accepting the expedient or popular," says Wheeler, who named the beetles and wrote the recently published monograph describing the new slime-mold beetle species while a professor at Cornell.

(snip)

[Nihil]

7. Wow! Going for the whole administration?

> The entomologists also named some of the new species after ...
> ... the Greek words for "ugly" and "having prominent teeth" ...

Condi too eh?

[glitch]

2. It has got to be tongue in cheek.

It just has to be. Although one would think an entomologist would have more respect for beetles.

[atommom]

3. A Republican entomologist? Say it isn't so!

I'm hoping that statement was tongue-in-cheek.

[Igel]

4. Hey, I've thought slime molds were neat since I first heard about

them in high school.

What's not to like in a genus that is vegetable but still moves around? (Good ol' Myxomycetes, I think the genus is.)

[NNadir]

5. Why would someone insult beetles?

[DemBones DemBones]

6. A slime mold in motion is a thing of beauty,

but I rather like beetles as well.

There are, however, lower life forms I am not fond of. Draw your own conclusions.

[Bill McBlueState]

8. from Cornell's web site

Here's a blurb about the scientist, Quentin Wheeler. His efforts related to conservation and biodiversity convince me that his "praise" for the RePubes is satirical.

Quentin Wheeler
Professor
Department of Entomology

Quentin Wheeler heads a lab devoted to insect systematics and morphology in the Cornell Department of Entomology. He is jointly appointed Professor to the L.H. Bailey Hortorium (Plant Biology) at Cornell. Dr. Wheeler additionally serves as a Research Associate to the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. He is currently living in Washington, D.C., where he is serving as Director of the Division of Environmental Biology of the National Science Foundation.

Prof. Wheeler's research interests include: Coleoptera (beetle)taxonomy; fungus-insect associations; systematics theory; and, the role of taxonomy in biodiversity studies and conservation. His most recent book was Species Concepts and Phylogenetic Theory: A Debate (Columbia University Press, 2000), which he co-edited with R. Meier. Professor Wheeler is currently at work on a book on biodiversity study and conservation.

Prof. Wheeler teaches introductory insect systematics and has also offered classes on principles of systematics, beetle systematics, and seminars on diverse topics such as species concepts, arthropod phylogeny, and philosophical problems in taxonomy.

[Qanisqineq]

9. From Cornell News

http://www.news.cornell.edu/Stories/April05/slime-mold.Bush.Cheney.ssl.html

"The decision to name three slime-mold beetles after Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld, however, didn't have anything to do with physical features, says Quentin Wheeler, a professor of entomology and of plant biology at Cornell for 24 years until last October, but to pay homage to the U.S. leaders. "We admire these leaders as fellow citizens who have the courage of their convictions and are willing to do the very difficult and unpopular work of living up to principles of freedom and democracy rather than accepting the expedient or popular," says Wheeler, who named the beetles and wrote the recently published monograph describing the new slime-mold beetle species while a professor at Cornell."

:puke:

I've named a number of new insect species but the last person I would name one after is any of these three, even if it was the most vile of species.