Evening star., 1939-06-13
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henri.

Dy 1tOHtuS n. HeTy.
Species of fish, starfish. mollusks and
crustaceans hitherto unknown to SCI
ence have just been named in honor of
President Franklin D. Roosevelt by
Smithsonian Institution scientists.
They were collected by DR.. Waldo L.
Schmitt, Smithsonian biologist, who ac-
companied Mr.. Roosevelt on his trip to
the Galapagos Islands on board the U.
S. S. Houston last year. During this
voyage Mr.. Roosevelt himself took an
active interest in the scientific work.
Brought back to Washington by DR..
Schmitt, the specimens were distributed
among experts of the Smithsonian staff
and collaborators in other institutions
for intensive study. The type specimens
will be retained in the United States
National Museum and will constitute
the standards by which other animals
of the same species will be identified in
the future.
The name of Mr.. Roosevelt is assured
a permanent place in scientific literature
for all time.
The new species of starfish will hence
forth be known as Ophionereis roosevelt.
un keeping with the custom In scien-
tific nomenclature the name Roosevelt"
loses its capital R) 1t is described by
Austin H. Clark, Smithsonian curator
of echinoderms and a fellow student
with Mr.. Roosevelt at Harvard.
The animal has central disk about
three-fourthS of an inch in diameter,
broWnlsh in color with numerous small,
whitish spots around the edge and very
fine parallel white lines radiating to the
center. The arms of the creature ex-
tending from this disk are black with
bands of white and are about inches
long. The entire surface of the central
disk is covered with overlapping scales,
like shingles, but most of them are en-
tirely concealed by thick skin. The
arms are covered with formidable spines
Two new species of fishes were de-
scribed from DR.. Schmitts collection,
both collected from Old Providence Is
land in the Atlantic and both belonging
to the CODY family. They were studied
by DR.. Isaac Ginsberg of the United
States Bureau of Fisheries and the most
striking OF the two was given the name
Pycomma roosevelt. 1t is the second
species of the genus to be found
1t is small creature, less than an
inch long, whose color is characterized
by six broad, blackish bands across an
olive-gray background
Dr.. Schmitt himself described the new
species of crustacean obtained from
Cllpperton Island in the Pacific, coral
atoll. Altogether the Smithsonian scien-
tist obtained three hitherto unknown
types OF crustacean. The species named
for Mr.. Roosevelt, Thalamita roosevelt.
is the largest of the lot and probably the
most striking in appearance 1t is about
an inch wide and half inch long with
rldged carapace, or shell.
Four new mollusks described from DR..
Schmltt's collections by Drs. Paul
Bartsch and Harald A. Render of the
National Museum staff, are named for
the President. These are lovely sea
shells which henceforth, it is likely, will
be priced greatly in collections.
The first, named Terebra roosevelt bv
DR.. Bartsch, is a turreted shell whose
Whorls range from yellowish to a bril-
liant dark orange. with areas of black
lsh chestnut brown. The second. Conus
roosevelt, is small, cone-shaped shell
whose ground color is a bright, light
chestnut brown. The most brilliant of
the new species is Marginella roosevelt
"a large shell, ovate in shape, whose
color is deep, brilliant orange fading
to flesh color with an orange flush, with
five reddish-chestnut spots. Peasiella
roosevelt is small, comic shell with
alternating bands of blackish brown and
blush white.
Altogether says Dr. Schmitt, more
than 80 new species, subspecies and va
rletles OF plants and animals were dis
covered in the collections made on this
cruise. The fish collection, which was
the object of the Presidents greatest
interest, is one of the most valuable ever
TO come to the National Museum. He
himself and members of his party gave
DR.. Schmitt first choice of any of their
catches for scientific purposes.
Old Experience Recalled