It’s not every day that a new species of frog is discovered -- especially in New York City. And it’s not everyone who is related to the person who discovers a new species. So we’re proud of Jeremy and “Rana Kauffeldi”. (There’s some really great coverage -- and cute pictures -- on this discovery. Just google new NYC frog.)
Jeremy discovered the new species of frog by accident, in the sense that he wasn't looking for the frog when he heard a frog call and realized that it was different from anything he had heard or expected to hear. One thing led to another and, after years of work, the paper proving the new species was published.
In the course of his research, Jeremy learned that, in 1937, Carl Kauffeld wrote about his suspicions that there was a distinct species of frog in New York. However, Kauffeld couldn’t prove it. With improved testing possibilities, Jeremy could, and did, prove the existence of the new frog.
In honor of his predecessor, Jeremy gave the the “Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog” the scientific name “Rana Kauffeldi”. It was a posthumous honor. Kauffeld died in 1974 which is the year Jeremy was born. An interesting coincidence?