phanaerozoic

On May 20-22, 2013, an international meeting devoted to all aspects of Carboniferous-Permian geology with special emphasis on the Carboniferous-Permian transition was hosted by the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque, New Mexico. At that meeting, I presented a paper entitled “A NEW SPECIES OF GLAPHYROPHLEBIA HANDLIRSCH, 1906 (INSECTA: NEOPTERA: BLATTINOPSIDAE) FROM THE LOWER PERMIAN WELLINGTON FORMATION OF NOBLE COUNTY, OKLAHOMA, USA.” In it, I described a new species of fossil insect which I named Glaphyrophlebia anderhalterorum in honor of my grandmother, Katherine Anderhalter and my uncle, her only son, Prof. Dr. Oliver Anderhalter.

The fossil is a spectacular one, with much of the body as well as the forewings preserved exceptionally well for a Wellington Formation insect. The insect’s wing color pattern is preserved on one half of the fossil, the other half comprising an impression of the wing and body.

The species name “anderhalterorum” is a “patronymic,” that is, it is chosen to honor a person or persons. The suffix “-orum” is used behind the name to indicate that more than one person is honored. Here is the text of the Etymology section of the paper, which gives the origin of the name chosen:

“Etymology: The specific epithet anderhalterorum honors my maternal grandmother, the late Katherine Vollet Anderhalter, and her son, the late Prof. Dr. Oliver Anderhalter. My grandmother encouraged me from my earliest school days to excel academically so that I might follow in my uncle’s footsteps and earn a PhD. Her expectations and his example nurtured in me an early interest in science and learning that has lasted a lifetime.”

Here is a color image of the fossil:

And her is a link to a pdf file of the full paper:

And, finally, a photograph of my grandmother and uncle:

~Roy Beckemeyer, 23 April, 2023