A terrestrial leech from Australia is being named after Amy Tan, Chinese American author of best-seller The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter’s Daughter, announced the American Museum of Natural History.
The tiny leech, scientifically dubbed Chtonobdella tanae, is the first new soft-bodied invertebrate to be imaged with computed tomography (CT) scanning.
Tan has accompanied the curator of invertebrate zoology, Mark Siddal, for the field research of such creatures.
“Amy, long a supporter of the work we do here, is someone we knew would consider it an honor, not an insult, to have a leech named for her,” said Siddal. “These jungle leeches are mentioned several times in her hilarious novel Saving Fish from Drowning.”
Tan is “thrilled to be immortalized as Chtonobdella tanae.”
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“Imagine the possibilities for identifying legions of tiny squashable organisms that have thus far lived in obscurity. I am now planning my trip to Queensland, Australia, where I hope to take leisurely walks through the jungle, accompanied by a dozen or so of my namesake feeding on my ankles,” Tan said.