Hi! I hope you enjoy my little corner of the universe! She/her pronouns are lovely! Avatar courtesy of sbeep! Things I post a lot: Star Wars, cats, The Witcher, food, Star Wars, history things, pretty places, pretty clothes, Star Wars, puns, and Star Wars
Today my magnificent octopus magnum opus, a 126-page monograph on the genus Rhombophryne—Madagascar's diamond frogs, was published open access in the journal Vertebrate Zoology. In it, my colleagues and I have described seven new diamond frog species and provided detailed revised accounts of each of the now 27 species in the genus, compiling practically everything that is known about these curious and obscure frogs!
Allow me to introduce the new characters:
This piece of lint precious child is Rhombophryne maraorao, a little burrowing species from the northeast of Madagascar. It is very similar ecologically to R. coudreaui, a long-known species from further south. The name maraorao means ‘rough to the touch’ in Malagasy, referring to the rough skin of this species. They do a weird thing where they straighten all of their limbs and go stiff in self defence. Think pumpkin toadlet post-launch mid-air stiffness, but… in the hand?
This beautiful creature is Rhombophryne mavokely, a little leaflitter-dwelling species from the northeast of Madagascar. The name mavokely is the Malagasy word for ‘pink’ but literally translates as ‘small yellow’ (mavo = yellow, kely = small). I LOVE this bizarre etymology, and also this species is small and sometimes pink and sometimes yellowish, so the name seemed extremely apt. This species was the first Rhombophryne I ever saw alive—I caught the first ever specimen immediately underneath my hammock on Marojejy in 2016!
This shiny boy is Rhombophryne sonaliae, a rather well known species from eastern Madagascar that has previously been called R. alluaudi—until we showed in 2019 that the correct use of that name was for a Plethodontohyla alluaudi from southern Madagascar! We dedicated this species to Sonali Garg, in recognition of her fantastic work especially on Asian frogs.
This forbidden truffle is Rhombophryne anatiala, a very poorly known species very closely related to R. sonaliae but found further north and differing subtly. The name anatiala means ‘in the forest’ in Malagasy, referring to the forest habitat of these frogs.
This bumpy beanbag with his go-faster chevron is Rhombophryne kotrobaratra, an interesting species from northeastern Madagascar with rather unusual anatomy, especially its quite long and strong hindlimbs. The name kotrobaratra means ‘thunder and lightning’ in Malagasy, and refers to the inclement weather that seems to bring these frogs out (true for all Rhombophryne, really) .
This coffee bean is Rhombophryne quentini, an orange-thighed species from high-elevation forests in northern Madagascar that resembles R. ellae. Back in 2020 I named R. ellae after my partner, Ella, and I thus took particularly great pleasure in naming this new, closely related species after our four-and-a-half year-old son, Quentin. A little family of frogs. :3
This little pebble is Rhombophryne kilonjy, a small, poorly known and obscure species related to R. ellae and R. quentini but found in lowland forest close to the coast in northwestern Madagascar. The name kilonjy means ‘pebble’ in Malagasy because, well, just look at it.
Even way back in my tumblr posts from 2013 and 2014 I think you would find mentions of the work I had begun on this monograph. I had no notion that it would take more than twelve years to complete. But I cannot express my joy at finally being able to share these charming, round frogs with the world. I hope you approve of the names!
If you want to read a bit more about these frogs, you can do so on my website. I have even posted a couple short videos about them on TikTok and Instagram (which also will show you how to pronounce the names!). Basically, you can find me most places on the internet, and wherever you find me, you can be sure to find frogs and lizards and snakes and a good deal of enthusiasm.
i hope the original author sees this thread go by (or y'all are leaving comments on ao3), there is a A LOT of love in the tags and they absolutely deserve it
hey, I'm isaac chotiner I wrote this! I thought a small handful of people might enjoy it and instead it is by some margin the most popular thing I've ever posted on ao3. two key takeaways: 1) the people crave affectionate fidelity to the new yorker style guide, and 2) yuletide rules
Matt Levine linked to my fic in Money Stuff and described it as "Isaac Chotiner/Shirley Jackson fan fiction," I feel like I'm on drugs and/or hallucinating
I was tagged by @defira85 and I’m feeling wildly unproductive at work today, so let’s do this! Thank you, my dearest friend! 💜
I will hide all below a read more so no one has to scroll endlessly by my rambling…
I will tag @angelicfangirl @mhara @camina-drummer @aearyn and @forcemalarkey if you are all so inclined 😊
1. What’s your blog title from?
It is… my username. I am unoriginal and don’t look at my blog all that often to feel like I should change it.
2. Latest movie? What did you think?
The Name of the Rose (1986 with Sean Connery and a baby Christian Slater). I watched it because I just finished reading the book and wanted to see if it was actually good. It was good! I was amazed by how middle aged and kinda ugly all the monks were allowed to be. Oh and Ron Perlman is in it as the hunchbacked monk which was pretty spectacular. It’s not a happy movie by any means (but then again, neither is the book), but it was pretty well done!
3. What are you looking forward to right now?
I’m taking off work next Monday to have a beach day with some friends!
4. If you could do anything at all today, what would it be?
Hmm probably play swtor (I’m desperately trying to get my Rass romancer leveled and up to date but the poor guy is still in chapter 1 of the class story 😭) and uhh… write Star Wars porn!
5. Drink of choice?
Water.
Though I have lately become a convert of an iced matcha latte.
6. Hair routine?
Minimal. If I do anything beyond shampoo to clean, air dry, then up in a ponytail, I’ve got some mousse stuff that I put in and then I twirl my hair around until I’ve got little ringlets.
7. Favorite way to travel? Is there another you want to try?
I do love a good cruise. I’ve gone on a handful and enjoyed them, especially with my tumblr besties a couple years ago. I still miss that trip….
But I also love to travel by train!! Most of my commute is by train which is awesome.
8. Favorite month and why?
October. I live in a place where the autumn leaves are vibrant and colorful, and the weather tends to be cool and crisp. It’s also the beginning of the holiday season.
9. Favorite time of the day and why?
I like the sunset a lot, so I guess dusk is my answer here. But I try not to discriminate.
10. Do you play or follow any sports?
I did play competitive basketball for a long time as a kid/adolescent, and I still follow college basketball (men’s and women’s) and the WNBA. I also follow hockey (the Boston Bruins and the Boston Fleet primarily). But I do tend to keep an eye on baseball and I absolutely cannot escape the cultural tornado of football no matter how hard I try.
11. What kind of music has been stuck in your head lately?
I will admit here that I very rarely have music stuck in my head. It DOES happen but it’s just as likely to be a commercial jingle as it is a song on the radio. That said, I have been listening primarily to Shinedown, Le Vent du Nord, and Myrath lately so something by one of those three groups is most likely to be there.
12. Dishes or laundry
In the words of Kirsty: LAUNDRY CHRIST
13. Something you learned recently?
I learned what a HyCoSy procedure was. I also learned what that procedure feels like and that I have a “complicated cervix”. Yay.
14. What would you talk about if you could give a TED Talk on anything?
I could talk about a lot of things - my master’s thesis is the obvious answer, but I feel like TED Talks are meant to be more inspirational and impactful than “how did occupational safety become A Thing in the early 20th century?”
So truthfully I think I’d talk about how to support a partner with ADHD and/or depression. I’ve learned so much from my wife and I love her so much, but it does take a bit of strategizing and quite a lot of patience to be a supportive partner to someone with her mental illnesses. She says I’m pretty good at it, and there aren’t a lot of resources out there talking about being a good partner in these situations. And I’ve also seen a lot of bad partners and bad ways of dealing with partner’s ADHD. So yeah, I think it would be that.
15. Piece of advice you find yourself giving a lot?
Just ask.
Not sure if someone is flirting? Just ask.
Don’t know how to fill out a form? Just ask.
Friend acting weird? Just ask.
DONT ASK CHATGPT. DONT DO THAT.
16. Piece of advice you would give yourself five years ago?
Just ask.
Ask the questions. Yes, even the dumb ones. Yes, even the ones you feel like you should know. Yes, even to the person you think might be busy.
Better to ask the question than to do it wrong or badly or not at all. People like helping. They like to tell you things you don’t know. They also don’t know what you don’t know. You need to tell them that.
17. Do you believe in luck and superstition? Do you carry and lucky items or follow any rituals?
I try very, very, very hard not to believe in luck and superstitions. Those kinds of rituals and beliefs fed into my OCD tendencies as a teenager. I’ve worked hard to accept that I don’t have a lot of control in how the world works. I need to control what I can and leave alone what I can’t.
18. Are you musical (play any instruments, sing)? Would you ever perform for an audience?
Yes and yes (I have performed for an audience many times). I took piano lessons for a decade, and when I got to high school I learned to play the xylophone and the other mallet percussion instruments (including timpani). I’m not quite talented enough to be a concert pianist at any level, so my main instrument has become mallet percussion. I was still playing and performing with concert bands up through 2020, and just haven’t gotten back into it since. I’d like to, though.
19. Write, type, or speak?
Sort of depends? If I want to remember something, write. If I want to communicate a complex or emotional thought to someone else, type. If I need someone to see my face as I communicate, speak.
20. What do you wish someone would ask you?
I don’t really know, to be honest. I’ve had a lot of thoughts in my mind recently about grief and parenting and intimacy, but I don’t necessarily think I want people to ask me about those things. So I guess I’ll go with this one:
getting lost in boston is fun because I turned around on a street corner three times and some guy yelled "hey stupid! the bus is that way!" very helpful interaction and accurate insult, 10/10 no notes
one time I walked around a building a couple times looking for a bathroom and this guy went "this bitch thinks she's on a merrygoround, where the fuck are you tryna go? bathroom? one floor down to the right behind the door that says bathroom."
My very first time in Boston. I was absolutely miserable, trying to drag my giant suitcase up a lengthy set of stairs in the pouring rain. This guy who had already reached the top looked back at me with the most pure expression of disgust I’ve ever seen in anyone’s eyes, marched back down the stairs, grabbed my suitcase, carried it to the top, left it there for me, and walked away without ever saying a word. I think about him often.
For the people in the notes going "why is Boston like this": a) the insults are a way to show you have no ulterior motives when helping someone (and don't need to be thanked or repaid), and b) Boston was settled by the Irish
also the Italians. mixing Irish and Italian sociocultural attitudes had the effect of multiplying the Sass Levels by the power of infinity, in the sense that you get all of the clever dry wit of the Irish and all of the bitchy gossipy condensation of the Italians rolled into one very stereotypically overly-friendly American package.
also worth noting that who you are to them doesn’t matter. they’ll talk to strangers like that and will also talk to their best friends like that. they’re just Like That.
[ID: a digital drawing of Davrin from Dragon Age Veilguard. He's shown from the waist upwards with a big smile on his face, wearing a white blouse with deep cleavage and ruffles. End ID]
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