Okay. Researchers at the American Museum of Natural History have named a new variety of tiny Australian leech after Amy Tan. Yes, Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife, and so on.
Tiny Leech Named for Amy Tan
Tan is apparently longtime supporter of the American Museum of Natural History. She has accompanied Mark Sidall, the museum's curator of invertebrate zoology, into the field in the past. Her 2005 novel Saving Fish from Drowning includes a number of references to jungle leeches.
As a tribute to Tan's support, the museum has named a leech for her.
