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from the issue of September 22, 2005
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Fossil named for UNL paleontologist
BY TROY FEDDERSON, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
A colleague who likes to talk football has forever placed George Corner into the fossil record.
| | George Corner, paleontologist and collections manager of the division of paleontology at the University of Nebraska State Museum, showcases some of the fossils found at the Webster County digsite. A fossil turtle found by Corner in 1971 has been identified as a new species and was named Terrapene corneri in honor of Corner. Photo by Troy Fedderson/University Communications.
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After borrowing a 13 million-year-old turtle fossil found 34 years ago by Corner at a Webster County dig site, J. Alan Holman of Michigan State University has officially identified the find as a new species. In the findings, published earlier this year in the Herpetological Journal, Holman named the holotype fossil Terrapene corneri, in honor of Corner, a longtime colleague and collections manager of the division of paleontology at the University of Nebraska State Museum.
"I found out a month ago and was totally flabbergasted," Corner said. "I had no idea he did this. I found out when I was sent a reprint of the article."
The south-central Nebraska dig site has proved fruitful for Corner and museum collections. A UNL graduate, Corner used the site as foundation for his master's thesis. He said over 100 different species of vertebrate animals were found at the site, including an extensive collection of bat fossils being studied by a colleague in Oklahoma.
"When I found the turtle I knew it was different, that I had never seen anything like it before," Corner said. "But, I didn't have the expertise to describe it."
Holman, however, is a leader in herpetology, the study of reptiles and amphibians. Corner said Holman - who has collaborated on the Webster County site for years - has built one of the best herpetology collections in the United States.
The turtle resembles the box turtle "Terrapene ornate" that is still prevalent in the Great Plains. However, differences do remain and "Terrapene corneri" remains a holotype - the original specimen from which the description of a new species is made.
"It's kind of funny to be named after a turtle of all things," Corner said. "But, it is also pretty cool to have a species named after you. Especially one that is the only one of its kind."
When Holman returns the fossil, Corner said it would join about 350 other holotype fossils in the NU State Museum collection.
GO TO: ISSUE OF SEPTEMBER 22
NEWS HEADLINES FOR SEPTEMBER 22
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Online carpool service starts at UNL
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Admissions dean outlines enrollment figures
Fossil named for UNL paleontologist
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