Ross Quintal was
delighted to receive an email on Tuesday 23 April, from Dr Lauren Hughes,
Postdoctoral Researcher of Marine Invertebrates at the Australian Museum. Dr Hughes visited Norfolk
Island some years ago to study the Nuuanu (Amphipoda: Nuuanuidae). Amphipods are extremely diverse,
abundant and widespread crustaceans. They are found in nearly all marine and
freshwater habitats. They are particularly important as herbivores, detritivores,
micro predators and scavengers in marine environments and they are almost
always an important component of marine and freshwater environmental surveys.
For these reasons and many others it is important to be able to identify
amphipods. Previously, there were 14 known species with the genus recorded
world-wide. Dr Hughes’ paper describes three new species of Nuuanu, based
on recently collected material, from Norfolk Island; Cocos (Keeling) Islands
and from the Torres Strait. Material studied
was collected as part of the Circum-Australian Amphipod Project funded by the
Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Dr Hughes discovered
in Norfolk Island the new species Nuuana at
the Fig Valley Reef. She has named the Nuuanu
for the Quintal family of Norfolk Island in
gratitude for their long-term encouragement to her academic pursuits. Dr Hughes
emailed Ross to say “…as promised to Ross
and for your whole family, a new species published today Nuuanu quintalana. The
genus name Nuuanu is Hawaiian, as that is where this group of animals was first
recognised from. The ‘ana’ suffix to your name is latin, indicating that the
animal is named from several people from the same family. At around 3 to 4 mm
big your species lives within the sand grains and is recorded from Norfolk and Philip.
Having a species named for you now makes you immortal in scientific circles, as
this will always be the label used to refer to this animal even as new concepts
emerge about how different species are related. It is the least I can do to
show my appreciation and celebrate having all of you in my life” Dr Hughes, then thanked Joel, Sammy,
Ross, Grandma Beth and Luke of the Quintal family.
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