A lot of science didnt originate in Europe (calculus, astronomy, much of medicine, etc...) but was credited to Europeans due to the "Doctrine of Christian Discovery", which was basically the right to steal.
Wouldn't be surprised if this theory falls under the same category. The first & most likely to observe the patterns in nature wouldnt have lived in Northern Europe in my opinion.
This episode is widely known:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Matthew
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Russel_Wallace
Stigler's law of eponymy is also relevant:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stigler%27s_law_of_eponymy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_examples_of_Stigler%27...