New fish species named in honor of Va. scientist

GLOUCESTER, Va. (AP) — A newly identified fish species has been named in memory of a Virginia scientist.

The Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences says the honor was bestowed by two Smithsonian scientists who published a paper on a new species of sea bass. John Olney received the recognition posthumously this month.

Olney died in 2010. He was 62. He had a special fascination with the larvae of marine fishes.

Study co-author Carole Baldwin says Olney would have loved the “little fish story” on the new species.

The new species is named liopropoma olneyi.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up