New Insect Species Purchased On EBay

SpuriousLogic writes "A scientist who bought a fossilized insect on the web auction site eBay for £20 has discovered that it belongs to a previously unknown species of aphid. The bug has been named Mindarus harringtoni after the scientist."

Alternate Name

[Colonel Korn]

"The bug has been named Mindarus harringtoni after the scientist."

The aphid was almost named Mindarus Goldseller145332 after the seller.

eBug?

[SanityInAnarchy]

Do all names have to sound latin?

To answer my own question:

[SanityInAnarchy]

Do all names have to sound latin?

Apparently, yes:

"I had thought it would be rather nice to call it Mindarus ebayi," said Dr Harrington.
"Unfortunately using flippant names to describe new species is rather frowned upon these days."

Quantum physicists have all the fun. When properties of subatomic particles can have names like "Charmed" or "Strange", why can't a species have a fun name, too?

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Check which professions require you to wear a tie and have some level of grooming.

Biologists? Yes.

Physicists? No (though if you wear a tie with a 70s style suit and it is in really bad taste, you will probably be forgiven, especially if your beard is unkept).

Physicists can get away with this type of behavior because people think that you have to be a little nuts to be a physicist. The same applies to mathematics and to a lesser degree for geology. It shouldn't surprise you that physicists can get away w

Re:

[Bemopolis]

Clearly we have not worked with the same physicists. Maybe you meant 'physical therapists'?

Re:

[Simon Brooke]

Are you kidding me? You clearly do not work with physicists. Granted we don't wear suits often but it's still a PROFESSION where we have to look PROFESSIONAL.

If you're working in a physics lab and the management care more about the state of your wardrobe than about the science you're doing, you're working in the wrong lab. CERN (or Rutherford Appleton) are thataway --->

Re:

[Rei]

Yes, very professional indeed [youtube.com].

Re:

[SanityInAnarchy]

Do you watch the colbert report?

Nope. He has a few good bits, but I thought he was much better on the Daily Show. I find that the best part of both shows is when Stewart calls ahead to Colbert.

Re:

[Sporkus]

"Unfortunately using flippant names to describe new species is rather frowned upon these days."

But it's not too frowned upon [wikipedia.org].

Re:

[PolishPimpin]

They have to use latin names because latin is a dead language. Remember languages are dynamic and words do change meaning over a certain amount of time. When you have a dead language like latin it is not used in speech hence words do not change meaning. words like "Charmed" and "Strange" may have a diffrent meaning a century or two from now.

Re:

[SanityInAnarchy]

words like "Charmed" and "Strange" may have a diffrent meaning a century or two from now.

I'm not sure they could get worse than they are for describing what's actually going on.

Re:eBug?

[TheLink]

Using latin makes it easier to know when you're talking about the "scientific name", since most people don't use latin for talking about other stuff.

Then scientists know you're trying to refer to a specific creature/thing.

It's similar thing for technical terms. Use of mostly "normal english" is good when you're trying to explain stuff to the general public, but it's usually more precise and efficient to use the correct technical terms when speaking with specialists in the field.

Re:

[SanityInAnarchy]

Using latin makes it easier to know when you're talking about the "scientific name", since most people don't use latin for talking about other stuff.

They use Latin for praying. Even if you say that science and religion aren't mutually-exclusive, I think you'll agree that they are different enough that people really shouldn't confuse them.

That, and other fields do have interesting names -- software has adopted pretty much every non-proper noun it could get its hand on, and even some proper ones (Python); Physics has all kinds of weird stuff (Boson) plus all kinds of adjectives (Charmed, Strange); Math has all kinds of weird names used to name theorums, b

Re:

[poptones]

Huntington Hartford hates pickled herring...

Re:

[Buran]

Yes, but you don't have to avoid "flippant" terms as long as it sounds Latin. There are lots of examples of so-called 'flippant' names out there.

How the aphid must feel

[macraig]

It must suck to be a fossilized aphid. The life of an aphid was already pretty sucky in the first place, but then to get entombed and sold on eBay? Oh the humiliation!

Re:

[Kenoli]

The life of an aphid was already pretty sucky in the first place

ba dum ching

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

get with times, man!
it's instantrimshot.com [instantrimshot.com] these days

Heh

[DurendalMac]

Upon further reflection, it has been renamed to Bastardis Sniperi

Re:

[Threni]

Or Fortuitus Publicitus, given eBay's recent decision to rely more on regular sellers of new goods (like Amazon) and less on crooks selling stolen tat.

Previously Unknown Species

[corsec67]

Whatever you are looking for
you can get it on eBay.
www.eBay.com

What next, getting an actual perpetual motion engine from eBay?

Re:Previously Unknown Species

[damn_registrars]

What next, getting an actual perpetual motion engine from eBay?

You didn't think it would already be there? [ebay.com]

Re:Previously Unknown Species

[corsec67]

That is "something that spins for a long time with no external input of energy", not a perpetual motion engine.

People have been making that mistake for a long time.

Re:

[docbrody]

yeah, but i think its implied that almost everyone here is aware of that.

Re:Previously Unknown Species

[Lazyrust]

Thank god its NIB. I'd hate for someone to use up all the perpetual energy before I got it home.

Re:

[corsec67]

Yeah, I hate it when I get something with dead magnets as well.

Re:

[springbox]

That doesn't count. It says "perpetual motion" in the title.. Then "near perpetual motion" in the description.. Then it describes it as a toy. Aren't there any nuts trying to sell "real" perpetual motion machines?

Re:

[ceoyoyo]

Slaves? (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/24/ebay_african_slaves/)

Re:

[ILuvRamen]

no, obviously a jet pack kit that works but the mythbusters killed all my hopes and dreams on that one. You know what'd be fun is if the owner of ebay put ebay on ebay to finally cash out on their business and retire or whatever but that might tear a hole in the universe.

Re:

[vux984]

You know what'd be fun is if the owner of ebay put ebay on ebay to finally cash out on their business and retire or whatever but that might tear a hole in the universe.

Never happen. The fees are too high and the last second sniping will keep it from reaching its true market value. Plus being forced to use paypal makes payment awkward.

Re:

[Buran]

The idea to require Paypal for all transactions was cancelled.

Ebay takes credit for the discovery

[whtmarker]

If was originally named ebayus aphidopholus, as the species was first discovered on ebay, but was later renamed due to trademark issues.

Wikipedia entry

[Psychotria]

This [wikipedia.org] is probably the funnier name. I wonder if there is going to be a precedence debate.

"Creationists" hate eBay

[game kid]

...because finding new species requires Paypal.

Re:Pricey

[Psychotria]

I am also wondering about the description. Does the ebay auction description qualify as a formal description? If so, the type specimen description is going to be something like: "Very rare amber insect. One of a kind! Polished and made available to astute buyer. Bidding starts at only 15 pounds. Don't miss out out this outstanding specimen. Will look great as a broach. Cash only."

Re:

[SanityInAnarchy]

For 20 bucks

Sounds like you need to do the currency conversion. [google.com]

I thought it meant a live insect at first

[CrazyJim1]

I was thinking,"Sell people new species of insect from the rainforest, and that could help preserve it."

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

It could also help kill idiots who buy this stuff. double bonus!

What a waste!

[slarrg]

The headline could have been:

"New Species of Bug Discovered on eBay"