12 Organisms That Have No Idea They’re Named After Celebrities
If you’re a biologist, you may be lucky enough to have the chance to name a brand new organism. If you’re a fan of a certain celebrity, that can also be your chance to give a nod to someone that inspires or entertains you. If you’re studying something like worms, it might not feel the most complimentary, but I think the sentiment still stands.
Here are 12 organisms that have no idea they bear a celebrity name…
Grouvellinus leonardodicaprioi
Right off the bat, if you’re expecting all these species to be visual nods to their namesakes, you’re going to be disappointed. Like in the case of Grouvellinus leonardodicaprioi, which was given the moniker to thank the actor for his environmental philanthropic work. It’s a water beetle, at least, so put that thing on a floating door and you’ve got a connection — and probably a good meme for approximately five biologists.
Hyloscirtus sethmacfarlanei
Apparently, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane is a big time supporter of the NGO Rainforest Trust. Rainforest Trust CEO James Deutsch saw fit to reward him for his support with his own species of frog, one with “playful polka dots.”
Conobregma bradpitti
Dr. Buntika A. Butcher
If you’re a fan of Brad Pitt, you can be happy he has his own species. If you’re not a fan, take solace in the fact that it's a parasitic wasp.
Apostichus angelinajolieae
I have no quote to base this on, but I weirdly do think that Angelina Jolie is probably one of the few actresses that would truly be flattered by a namesake spider. We’re talking about someone who wore a vial of her lover’s blood around her neck, after all.
Acrophatus jackiechani
Pádua, Diego G., Sääksjärvi, Ilari E., Monteiro, Ricardo F., Oliveira, Marcio L.
You could probably cook up a reason to connect a species of wasp to Jackie Chan. They fly around, nimble but with a powerful sting. The actual reason, however, is just that one of the people who discovered it was a big fan of Chan. Fair enough.
Albunea groeningi
Simpsons creator Matt Groening apparently earned himself his very own species of crab thanks to featuring crustaceans in the show. Specifically, Lisa’s hermit crab and Pinchy the lobster secured his shellfish legacy.
Carcinomertes conanobrieni
When you hear that a worm was named after you, you probably hope that it wasn’t due to any resemblance. Unfortunately for Conan O’Brien, he and Carcinomertes conanobrieni “both exhibit a long and pale soma with slight tints of orange.”
Opaluma rupaul
Bryan Lessard/CSIRO
Some of these organisms require further explanation to make the link clear. Not the fly now known as Opaluma rupaul.
Mesoparapylocheles michaeljacksoni
If you’re wondering what, exactly, about this fossilized hermit crab brought Michael Jackson to mind? Nothing. It was simply grim timing, being discovered the same day of Jackson's death.
Filistata maguirei
Tobey Maguire’s name, thanks to two Iranian scientists, graces not only multiple Spider-Man cast lists, but also one actual spider.
Gaga (genus)
Lady Gaga has apparently influenced enough budding biologists to not only have a host of species named after her, but an entire genus. A genus including 19 species of fern is known as Gaga, and it’s not without any merit. The genus' ferns have a fluid gender at one stage, and one of their DNA strings? GAGA.
Idris elba
Elijah J. Talamas
Yes, that’s the full name. There’s a genus of parasitic wasp called Idris, and when taxonomist Elijah Talamas got the opportunity to name one, in his words, “It was too funny not to do it.”
