10 New Species That Have Been Named After Pop-Culture Icons

Nearly 99% of all things that have ever existed are now extinct. This is because nature is a gargantuan life form that is constantly evolving around us in order to ensure its own survival. We continue to find new and exciting species of plants and animals on a daily basis, just as we lose several species everyday, forever. The naming process of newly discovered species can be quite fascinating, and recently it has been noticed that people have begun to name new species after famous pop-culture icons. Here is a list of 10 new species that have been named after people and fictional characters from pop-culture.

Eoperipatus Totoros

A recently discovered Velvet worm had scientists so entranced by its adorable shape and physique, that they decided to name it after the Catbus from the famous Japanese film ‘My Neighbor Totoro’.

Euglossa Bazinga

A Brazilian orchid bee, discovered by Brazilian biologist Andre Nemesio, has been named Euglossa Bazinga, in honor of The Big Bang Theory’s most popular character, Sheldon Cooper. ‘Bazinga’ happens to be Sheldon’s catchphrase!

Ampulex Dementor

A new species of wasp found in South-east Asia has been named after a popular element from the Harry Potter series. The wasp was called ‘Ampulex dementor’, after the terrifying dementors from the Harry Potter books. This is because the wasps are known to suck the life out of the cockroaches they torment.

Dendropsophus Ozzyi

National Geographic recently discovered a new species of frog in the Brazilian Amazon. They noticed that this frog had a very unique, unlike anything they had ever heard before. So they aptly decided to name it after Ozzy Osbourne and call the specie ‘Dendropsophus Ozzyi’. The mating call is supposed to resemble that of a bat, and as we all know, Ozzy once bit the head off a bat, hence the name.

Aegista Diversifamilia

A Taiwanese land snail has been named after a global movement instead of just pop-culture characters. The land snail has both male and female reproductive parts, which is why they decided to name it after same-sex marriages.

Aleiodes Shakirae

A new parasitic wasp has been named ‘Aleiodes Shakirae’, after pop-star Shakira. Apparently, the wasp causes the host caterpillar to wiggle and shake in a way that resembles the enigmatic singer and performer.

Yoda Purpurata

A deep sea worm has been named ‘Yoda Purpurata’, because the worms lips are supposed to resemble the iconic Star Wars character’s ears. ‘Keen speaking skills must have the worm!’ – is what Yoda would have probably said.

Agra Schwarzeneggeri

Before becoming Senator, he was a bodybuilder of epic proportions. A new species of carabid beetle has been named after Arnold Schwarzenegger, because the middle femora of the male in this species is supposed to resemble the huge biceps of the actor.

Jaggermeryx Naida

Mick Jagger has been around for such a long time now, that it feels like the rock star is a part of our history. A newly discovered fossil of an extinct swamp-dwelling creature from Africa has been named ‘Jaggermeryx Naida’, after the aging rock star.

Bumba Lennoni

A new species of tarantula has been found in the national forest in Para, Brazil, and named after John Lennon. Scientist Fernando Perez-Miles is behind this discovery, and being a big Beetles fan, he decided to pay homage to one of his heroes. Ideally, naming a beetle after a Beetles member would have been perfect, but he had to settle for using a tarantula instead.