New butterfly species to be named online
Published: Oct. 16, 2007 at 1:59 PM
GAINESVILLE, Fla., Oct. 16 (UPI) -- The Florida Museum of Natural History will auction off the naming rights of a newly discovered butterfly species to raise money for U.S. butterfly research.
The new species of owl butterfly -- discovered this year by University of Florida researchers George Austin and Andrew Warren -- is the first butterfly in the owl group to be named in more than 100 years.
"It is extraordinarily uncommon for such a large, showy butterfly to have escaped detection until now," said Warren, a post-doctoral associate at the museum. "This likely will be one of the last times such a large and beautiful butterfly is named."
In what's believed the first-time naming rights for a new butterfly species will have been auctioned online in North America, the winning bidder will determine the species name following the Oct. 22-Nov. 2 public auction at iGavel.com.
The winning bidder will have the name of his or her choice applied to the species’ formal description, following the rules of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. The name will then be used for the species in all scientific publications and field guides.
The new species of owl butterfly -- discovered this year by University of Florida researchers George Austin and Andrew Warren -- is the first butterfly in the owl group to be named in more than 100 years.
"It is extraordinarily uncommon for such a large, showy butterfly to have escaped detection until now," said Warren, a post-doctoral associate at the museum. "This likely will be one of the last times such a large and beautiful butterfly is named."
In what's believed the first-time naming rights for a new butterfly species will have been auctioned online in North America, the winning bidder will determine the species name following the Oct. 22-Nov. 2 public auction at iGavel.com.
The winning bidder will have the name of his or her choice applied to the species’ formal description, following the rules of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. The name will then be used for the species in all scientific publications and field guides.
© 2007 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
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