Worm Taxonomy Dispute Results in Two Identical Papers Published Simultaneously

Two nematologists working at adjacent benches in the same laboratory have independently published descriptions of the same new nematode species in different journals within 72 hours of each other, creating a taxonomic priority dispute that the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature has described as 'genuinely unprecedented in its pettiness.' Dr. Alan Cuticle published his description of Mesorhabditis cuticlei in the Journal of Nematology on Monday. Dr. Brenda Pharynx published her description of what appears to be the same organism, named Mesorhabditis pharynxiae, in Nematologica on Wednesday. Both descriptions are based on specimens extracted from the same soil sample, collected from a field site in Oxfordshire that the laboratory shares. Both papers include near-identical morphometric measurements, suggesting the researchers were examining the same population. 'I had been working on this description for months,' said Dr. Cuticle. 'I told no one because taxonomy is competitive and Brenda sits three meters away.' 'I had also been working on it for months,' said Dr. Pharynx. 'I told no one because Alan eavesdrops and has been known to rush publications.' Under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, priority is typically given to the first published description. Dr. Cuticle's paper appeared 72 hours earlier, making Mesorhabditis cuticlei the valid name and Dr. Pharynx's name a junior synonym. Dr. Pharynx has filed a formal complaint arguing that Dr. Cuticle must have seen her draft, which she left on the printer. Dr. Cuticle denies this, noting that 'I do not read other people's printer output, especially when it is face-down, which it was.' The laboratory has since installed a privacy screen between their workstations.