Put your name on a scientific discovery
The scientific name of a species is permanent. Once published in the specialist literature, it is indexed in all taxonomic databases in the world and cited in all future work involving that species. There is no expiry date: it is a permanent record linked to a living being that no one had ever described or named before.
This programme offers two ways to participate, depending on your preferences and circumstances:
Modality A
€4,500
I have a catalogue of species already collected during my research expeditions, pending formal description. You can choose the species that interests you most and fund its description, obtaining the right to propose its name.
Modality B
€8,500 – €10,000
You fund a complete scientific expedition to a neotropical region with a high probability of discoveries. You receive complete documentation of the field work and have naming priority over whatever is found.
Video call to get to know each other, answer questions and understand what you're looking for. This is not a catalogue presentation — it's a conversation to see whether the programme fits what you have in mind.
You choose the species or the expedition modality. We sign an agreement specifying scope, timeline, conditions and the name proposal process.
The specific epithet can be your name, someone you wish to honour, or a corporate name. It must comply with ICZN rules — I help you verify this.
Complete taxonomic analysis and publication in an international specialist journal. The name is permanently registered in science.
What exactly happens
The holotype — the physical specimen that defines the species — must be deposited in a public scientific collection in the country of origin: this is established by the legislation of the vast majority of source countries. The paratypes (additional specimens from the same series) are distributed according to the applicable regulations: some remain with the holotype, others go to international reference institutions. The published article includes an etymology section explaining the origin of the name and mentioning the patron explicitly. You receive the PDF of the official publication, the patronage certificate and high-resolution photographs of the species.
Both modalities
Additional in Modality B
My track record in field taxonomic work is consistent: every expedition I have organised has resulted in the discovery of at least one species new to science. This is not chance — it is the result of knowing the literature, identifying the taxonomic gaps, and choosing carefully where to go. The regions I propose for Modality B are those where the probability of discovery is high.
If multiple species are discovered
If several new species appear on the expedition — which is far from rare — you have the right to propose the name of up to four of them.
Transparency guarantee
If exceptionally no new species is discovered on the expedition, you may apply the sponsorship to a second expedition at no additional cost, or choose a species from the available catalogue at no additional cost.
Taxonomy is not an academic luxury: it is the foundation without which conservation cannot function.
A species without a name cannot be assessed, protected or managed. By funding its formal description, you are not just putting your name in science — you are contributing to that species existing for all practical purposes. If you are interested in participating, the first step is a conversation.
A direct and measurable contribution to biodiversity conservation, with a published and citable scientific result. It generates real content for sustainability reports and a permanent link to a specific scientific discovery — not a generic donation.
A museum can fund an expedition in its own name to directly enrich its own collections. In that case, the agreement is structured differently: the museum acts as the institutional sponsor of the expedition, and part of the collected material — paratypes, and in some cases holotypes if the legislation of the country of origin permits — is deposited in its collection. Its name appears in the publication as the funding institution.
This is a model with a long tradition in natural history — many of the great European and American collections were built exactly this way. For museums wishing to expand their American Phasmatodea holdings without maintaining their own expedition infrastructure, it is the most direct route.
Anyone who wants to directly fund the discovery of a species and have their name linked to it in international scientific literature. This can be the patron's own name, that of a family member, or someone they wish to honour.
Institutions wishing to support field taxonomic work without their own expedition infrastructure, or seeking to honour researchers, donors or significant figures in their history. The result is the same: a name permanently linked to a published scientific discovery.
Conservation organisations or scientific associations wishing to link their name to a specific published discovery. A direct way to contribute to the scientific foundation on which their own work depends.
The catalogue is not public and is not shared in the first call. If after the initial consultation it makes sense to proceed, and depending on the case, we agree on how and under what conditions to review the available options.
You have the right to propose the name of up to four of them.
In Modality B this can be considered. The neotropical rainforest is not a tourist environment — it requires physical fitness and basic field knowledge. We assess this possibility in the initial consultation, and if viable, the corresponding logistics are added to the budget. Safety is the priority.
Yes. Recognition in the scientific publication is permanent, citable and linked to a real scientific result — not a generic donation. That is what remains in the specialist scientific literature.
It must comply with ICZN rules (not offensive, correctly Latinised, etc.). I help you verify that the proposed name is valid before it is fixed in the agreement.
It depends on several factors beyond my control: journal editorial timelines, export permits from the country of origin and the complexity of the taxonomic analysis. In the initial consultation we can discuss realistic expectations for each specific case.
Write to me with your interest and we'll arrange a confidential video call to see which options best fit what you're looking for. No commitment, just a conversation to see whether it makes sense.
Modality A (Catalogue): €4,500 — already collected and verified species
Modality B (Expedition): €8,500 – €10,000 — full scientific expedition
