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How to Nominate a Top 10 New Species

You are invited to nominate a species for the Top 10 list that will be announced on or about May 23rd, 2012. Gather the information you need and just click on the LOGO above. Following are some guidelines and considerations.

Eligibility. Species are eligible that:

1. were officially published (described) during the calendar year 2011
2. were proposed in compliance with the rules of the appropriate Code of nomenclature (ICBN, ICZN; code compliance is usually enforced by editors of legitimate scientific journls)
3. have a high quality photograph or image available for release to the media (print, Web, and broadcast) without copyright restriction

Information that helps us assess nominations:

1. Name of nominated species
2. Citation or PDF copy of the original published description
3. A photo or image of the new species, if available
4. Contact information (email) for author(s), if available
5. A brief justification for why this species should be considered for Top 10 status.

DEPARTMENT OF SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION:

Keep in mind that the objective of the Top 10 list is a kind of biodiversity "shock and awe" campaign to raise public awareness of species loss and the importance of the science of taxonomy and of botanical gardens and natural history museums.

Unusual ecology or behavior, new records of the largest or smallest, or even unusual or humorous names can catch the attention of the public. Keep in mind also that a new species does not have to be wildly different from other known species in its group, if that group itself is largely unknown to the general public and as a group has some truly bizarre attributes. If you are a taxonomist, use this as an opportunity to share what you find exciting about the taxon you study through the discovery of a new species.

Species that meet above criteria will be forwarded to the international search committee that will make the final selections for the Top 10 New Species list for 2012.

Nominations will be accepted until March 15, 2012.