List of organisms named after famous people (born 1950–present)
In biological nomenclature, organisms often receive scientific names that honor a person. A taxon (e.g., species or genus; plural: taxa) named in honor of another entity is an eponymous taxon, and names specifically honoring a person or persons are known as patronyms. Scientific names are generally formally published in peer-reviewed journal articles or larger monographs along with descriptions of the named taxa and ways to distinguish them from other taxa. Following rules of Latin grammar, species or subspecies names derived from a man's name often end in -i or -ii if named for an individual, and -orum if named for a group of men or mixed-sex group, such as a family. Similarly, those named for a woman often end in -ae, or -arum for two or more women.
This list is part of the list of organisms named after famous people, and includes organisms named after famous individuals born on or after 1 January 1950. It also includes ensembles (including bands and comedy troupes) in which at least one member was born after that date; but excludes companies, institutions, ethnic groups or nationalities, and populated places. It does not include organisms named for fictional entities, for biologists, paleontologists or other natural scientists,[note 1] nor for associates or family members of researchers who are not otherwise notable (exceptions are made, however, for natural scientists who are much more famous for other aspects of their lives, such as, for example, rock musician Greg Graffin).
Organisms named after famous people born earlier can be found in:
- List of organisms named after famous people (born before 1800)
- List of organisms named after famous people (born 1800–1899)
- List of organisms named after famous people (born 1900–1949)
The scientific names are given as originally described (their basionyms): subsequent research may have placed species in different genera, or rendered them taxonomic synonyms of previously described taxa. Some of these names may be unavailable in the zoological sense or illegitimate in the botanical sense due to senior homonyms already having the same name.
List (people born 1950–present)[edit]
Taxon | Type | Namesake | Notes | Taxon image | Namesake image | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abba Castanheira & Framenau, 2023 | Spider | ABBA | A genus of Australian orb-weaving spiders whose name "honours the Swedish pop group ABBA whose songs and subsequent musicals Mamma Mia! (2008) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018), provided hours of entertainment for the authors." | [2] | ||
Acanthobothrium zimmeri Fyler, Caira & Jensen, 2009 | Tapeworm | Carl Zimmer | "named for Carl Zimmer who, through his colourful contributions to the popular literature, has done much to enhance the reputation of parasites." Zimmer wrote in his blog: "When I first discovered I was going to have a species named for me, I was overwhelmed by delusions of grandeur. But at [a] parasitology meeting, I was quickly brought back down to Earth. Fyler mentioned to another tapeworm expert that she was naming a species for me, and he said, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Acanthrobothrium is kind of tall and thin like you." [...] I'm still grateful for Fyler's gesture, and I still can't help feeling some vaguely paternal pleasure at seeing how A. zimmeri helps scientists learn a little bit more about the diversity of life and how that diversity evolved." | [3][4] | ||
Acanthogonatus messii Signorotto & Ferretti, 2023 | Spider | Lionel Messi | A mygalomorph spider from Argentina, named "In honor of Lionel Andrés Messi, an Argentine professional footballer and one of the greatest players of all times, unique winner of seven [now eight] Ballons d'or." | [5] | ||
Acanthosquilla sirindhorn Naiyanetr, 1995 | Crustacean | Sirindhorn | "The specific name is given in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, as a token of respect and in recognition of Her great interest in the study of the natural history of Thailand. Her Royal Highness graciously permitted the use of Her name for this beautiful and interesting species. It seems the more appropriate to attach the name of Her Royal Highness to the present stomatopod, because in 1983 Her Royal Highness (under the pseudonym Waen Kaeo) published a book for small children, entitled Kaeo Chom Kaen, in the first chapter of which a stomatopod, somewhat similar to the present, plays a dominant role." Subsequently, synonymised with Acanthosquilla derijardi | [6][7] [8] | ||
Acer binzayedii Vargas-Rodriguez, 2017 | Flowering plant | Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan | A species of maple tree found in Jalisco, Mexico. "The specific epithet honors a philanthropist committed to the protection of the environment and the preservation of species, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. Through his philanthropic endowment, the first author was able to conduct phylogeographic and taxonomic studies of Acer in tropical America; this research led to the discovery and recognition of this new species." | [9] | ||
Aceria mosalahi Lewandowski & Elsayed, 2021 | Mite | Mohamed Salah | A gall mite from Egypt "named after the Egyptian football player Mohamed Salah (Mo Salah) in recognition of his charity activities, effective promotion of anti-drug campaigns in Egypt, and inspiration of young Africans and Arabs." Subsequently synonymised with Aceria dioscoridis. | [10][11] | ||
Acrotaphus jackiechani Pádua & Sääksjärvi, 2020 | Wasp | Jackie Chan | "The specific epithet, "jackiechani", is the Latinized genitive form of the name Jackie Chan, chinese actor and director of several films, in [sic] which the first author is a fan." | [12][13] | ||
Actaea grimaldii Ng & Bouchet, 2015 | Crustacean | Albert II, Prince of Monaco | The prince was born Albert Grimaldi. This species of gorilla crab from Papua New Guinea was named "in honour of His Serene Highness Albert II, Prince of Monaco, patron of the PAPUA NIUGINI Expedition and several other biodiversity expeditions of the "Our Planet Reviewed" programme conducted by MNHN and Pro-Natura International. The red and white colour pattern of the new species also alludes to the colours associated with the House of Grimaldi." | [14] | ||
Actinopus anselmoi Miglio, Pérez-Miles & Bonaldo, 2020 | Spider | Phil Anselmo | "The specific name refers to musician Philip Hansen Anselmo, or Phil Anselmo, the main singer of Pantera, one of the most respected thrash metal bands of the world." | [15] | ||
Actinopus cornelli Miglio, Pérez-Miles & Bonaldo, 2020 | Spider | Chris Cornell | "The specific name is a patronym honoring musician Chris Cornell, one of the founders of grunge music." | [15] | ||
Actinopus reznori Miglio, Pérez-Miles & Bonaldo, 2020 | Spider | Trent Reznor | "The specific name refers to musician and multi-instrumentalist Michael Trent Reznor, founder of industrial music, leader of the Nine Inch Nails and affiliated to many other bands, in addition to his producer career." | [15] | ||
Aenictus shilintongae Jaitrong & Schultz, 2016 | Ant | Sirindhorn | An army ant from China "named in honor of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of the Kingdom of Thailand after her name in Chinese." (詩琳通公主, Shī lín tōng). The lead author of the description was Thai. | [16] | ||
Aetana ondawamei Huber, 2019 | Spider | John Ondawame | A cellar spider native to West Papua, "named for Papuan activist John Ondawame (1953–2014) who promoted a peaceful solution to the conflict in West Papua." | [17] | ||
Adelius adeleae Shimbori & Shaw, 2019 | Wasp | Adele | (Only the species name is in honor of Adele. Adelius is an old genus, established in 1833) | [18] | ||
Agaporomorphus colberti Miller & Wheeler, 2008 | Beetle | Stephen Colbert | According to Quentin Wheeler, the scientist who discovered this diving beetle, he named it after Colbert because "Stephen shamelessly asked the science community to name something cooler than a spider to honor him. His top choices were a giant ant or a laser lion. While those would be cool species to discover, our research involves beetles, and they are 'way cooler' than a spider any day." | [19] | ||
Agerina boygeorgei † Karim & Adrain, 2022 | Trilobite | Boy George | [20] | |||
Agra catbellae Erwin, 2002 | Beetle | Catherine Bell | "The specific epithet, catbellae, is the Latinized genitive form of the combined name of the actress starring on the current TV program "JAG", Catherine Bell. These beetles share the forest with an elegant cat, the jaguar." | [21] | ||
Agra katewinsletae Erwin, 2002 | Beetle | Kate Winslet | "Her (Titanic) character did not go down with the ship, but we will not be able to say the same for this elegant canopy species, if all the rain forest is converted to pastures." | [21] | ||
Agra liv Erwin, 2002 | Beetle | Liv Tyler | "The existence of this species of elegant beetle is dependent upon the rainforest not undergoing an Armageddon". | [21] | ||
Agromyza princei Eiseman & Lonsdale, 2019 | Fly | Prince | "This species is named for Prince (born Prince Rogers Nelson; 1958–2016), composer and performer of the song “Raspberry Beret,” who died shortly before the larva was discovered mining a leaf of black raspberry." | [22] | ||
Agyneta danielbelangeri Dupérré, 2013 | Spider | Daniel Bélanger | "in honor of Daniel Bélanger, a Québécois author-composer and singer, for his music and poetry that accompanied countless hours of spider studies." | [23] | ||
Albunea groeningi Boyko, 2002 | Crustacean | Matt Groening | "This species is named after Matt Groening, cartoonist and creator of the television program The Simpsons, to honor his extensive promotion of crustacean issues in the popular media. The Simpsons has exposed people to a diversity of crustacean species, including Lisa's hermit crab, Patty and Selma's hermit crab cleaning techniques, and, of course, "Pinchy" the lobster. The specific name is pronounced "gray-ningi."" | [24] | ||
Aleiodes butcheri Butcher et al., 2012 | Wasp | Jim Butcher | [25] | |||
Aleiodes colberti Shimbori & Shaw, 2014 | Wasp | Stephen Colbert | [26] | |||
Aleiodes elleni Shimbori & Shaw, 2014 | Wasp | Ellen DeGeneres | [26] | |||
Aleiodes falloni Shimbori & Shaw, 2014 | Wasp | Jimmy Fallon | [26] | |||
Aleiodes gaga Butcher et al., 2012 | Wasp | Lady Gaga | [27][25] | |||
Aleiodes shakirae Shimbori & Shaw, 2014 | Wasp | Shakira | "Since parasitism by this species causes the host caterpillar to bend and twist its abdomen in various ways, and Shakira is also famous for her belly-dancing, the name seems particularly appropriate." | [26] | ||
Aleiodes stewarti Shimbori & Shaw, 2014 | Wasp | Jon Stewart | [26] | |||
Alviniconcha strummeri Johnson et al., 2014 | Sea snail | Joe Strummer | "The name highlights the 'hardcore' nature of Alviniconcha snails, that inhabit the hottest, most acidic and most sulphidic microhabitats at Indo-Pacific hydrothermal vents. The name also recognizes the surface of Alviniconcha shells: the spiky periostracum resembles the fashion of punk rock bands." | [28] | ||
Amata gil Witt et al., 2007 | Moth | Gil Ofarim | [29] | |||
Ameira zahaae Karanovic & Cho, 2012 | Crustacean | Zaha Hadid | A copepod from the coast of South Korea, "dedicated to a renowned contemporary Iraqi-British architect Ms Zaha Hadid, who is designing one of the most ambitious projects in Seoul: the Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park. Senior author's admiration of her work worldwide may contribute to a view of this architectural complex as an embodiment of modern Korea." | [30] | ||
Amblypharyngodon chulabhornae Vidthayanon & Kottelat, 1990 | Fish | Chulabhorn | A freshwater carplet native to rivers of Thailand and Cambodia, "named in honour of H.R.H. Princess Chulabhorn Mahidol of Thailand in recognition of her interest and patronage of research and development in science and technology, including biology and fisheries. The Thai vemacular name is "Siew Chao Pha Chulabhorn" (ซิวเจ้าฟ้าจุฬาภรณ์)." | [31] | ||
Amphilimna intersepultosetme † Thuy, Numberger-Thuy & Jagt, 2018 | Brittle star | Between the Buried and Me | A fossil species from the Cretaceous of South Carolina. "Species name consisting of Latin "inter sepultos et me", translating into "between the buried and me", to honour the eponymous progressive metal band." | [32] | ||
Amphinema rollinsi Widmer, 2007 | Jellyfish | Henry Rollins | "The species is named in honor of Henry Rollins, artist, activist, and philosopher. It is the best way I know to thank him for his much appreciated and noble United Service Organizations (USO) service." | [33] | ||
Anaphes maradonae Jesu, 2003 | Wasp | Diego Maradona | A fairyfly described from specimens collected in Southern Italy, and named "in honour of Diego Armando Maradona. First, because I think that he [has] been the greatest football player of [all] time, and his performances will continue to be impressed in my mind (and of all supporters of S.S.C. Napoli) forever, and second because the new species develops (indirectly) on a plant from which the ephedrine is extracted (alkaloid to which Maradona was discovered positive at [the] Football World Cup carried [out in the] U.S.A in 1994)." Subsequently, synonymized with Anaphes brevis. | [34][35] | ||
Anaulacomera (Anaulacomera) mariellae Fianco, Faria & Cadena-Castañeda, 2021 | Katydid | Marielle Franco | A species from Iguaçu National Park, Brazil, "named as a tribute to Marielle Francisco da Silva, known as Marielle Franco, a Brazilian human rights activist, feminist, and LGBTQIA+ advocate, a brave woman in opposition to the established brutality against minorities and people on the peripheries of the cities." | [36] | ||
Anaulacomera (Anallomes) sylviae Fianco, 2021 | Katydid | Sylvia Rivera | "The specific name honours Sylvia Rivera [...], a trans woman activist, who led the LGBTQI+ liberation movements that started in June of 1969, in the United States of America." | [37] | ||
Andrena hadfieldi Sheffield, 2020 | Bee | Chris Hadfield | "It is a privilege to name this new species after Canadian astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield for his many achievements as a pilot, astronaut, author, lecturer, and science educator." | [38] | ||
Anolis nemonteae Ayala-Varela et al., 2021 | Lizard | Nemonte Nenquimo | An anole from Ecuador, named "for Nemonte Nenquimo, indigenous activist who led a successful campaign and legal action that protected 500,000 acres of Amazonian rainforest and Waorani territory from oil extraction in Ecuador. [...] Here we honor Nemonte Nenquimo for her braveness and determination to protect natural forests and their inhabitants." | [39] | ||
Aptostichus angelinajolieae Bond, 2008 | Spider | Angelina Jolie | Named in recognition of Jolie's work with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. | [40] | ||
Aptostichus barackobamai Bond, 2012 | Spider | Barack Obama | "in honor of Barack Obama, first African American President of the United States and reputed fan of spiders." | [41] | ||
Aptostichus bonoi Bond, 2012 | Spider | Bono | The species occurs in Joshua Tree National Park and was named in recognition of U2's 1987 album The Joshua Tree. | [41][42] | ||
Aptostichus pennjillettei Bond, 2012 | Spider | Penn Jillette | Named for Jillette's "advocacy of freethinking and scientific skepticism" | [41] | ||
Aptostichus stephencolberti Bond & Stockman, 2008 | Spider | Stephen Colbert | "The specific epithet is a patronym, named in honor of Mr. Stephen Colbert. Mr. Colbert is a fellow citizen who truly has the courage of his convictions and is willing to undertake the very difficult and sometimes unpopular work of speaking out against those who have done irreparable harm to our country and the world through both action and inaction. He will be especially remembered [...] for his speech at the 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner." | [40] | ||
Arcticalymene cooki † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 | Trilobite | Paul Cook | One of five species concurrently named after the members of the Sex Pistols. | [43] | ||
Arcticalymene jonesi † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 | Trilobite | Steve Jones | One of five species concurrently named after the members of the Sex Pistols. | [43] | ||
Arcticalymene matlocki † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 | Trilobite | Glen Matlock | One of five species concurrently named after the members of the Sex Pistols. | [43] | ||
Arcticalymene rotteni † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 | Trilobite | Johnny Rotten | One of five species concurrently named after the members of the Sex Pistols. | [43] | ||
Arcticalymene viciousi † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 | Trilobite | Sid Vicious | One of five species concurrently named after the members of the Sex Pistols. | [43] | ||
Arenivaga adamsi Hopkins, 2014 | Cockroach | Douglas Adams | "This species is named in honor and fond remembrance of Douglas Adams, whose writing makes me laugh, and who loved and respected all life on this planet." | [44] | ||
Argentinala cristinae † Petrulevičius & Gutiérrez, 2016 | Dragonfly | Cristina Fernández de Kirchner | A fossil Odonatoptera from the Carboniferous of La Rioja Province, Argentina, named "in honour of Argentinean (twice) President (2007-2015) Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. She elevated the Secretary of Science to Ministry rank, creating in 2007 the Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva (Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation). Within the Ministry, the CONICET experienced a quali-quantitative leap in all fields: infrastructure, number of workers, projects, organization and production." | [45] | ||
Aricidea pearti Barroso, Paiva & Ranauro, 2020 | Polychaete worm | Neil Peart | "The species name is in honor of the recently deceased Neil Peart, the drummer from the rock band Rush, whose wonderful and engaging lyrics accompanied the second author for many years while observing polychaetes through optical microscopy." | [46] | ||
Astraeus sirindhorniae Watling et al., 2014 | Fungus | Sirindhorn | A species of false earthstar mushroom native to Thailand, "named after Princess Sirindhorn on the occasion the 84th birthday of her father, who have both been supportive of natural heritage studies in Thailand and as a token of respect and recognition of the great interest shown by Her Majesty in the natural history and conservation of natural resources of Thailand." | [47] | ||
Astrosombra rammsteinensis † Thuy, Gale & Numberger-Thuy, 2019 | Brittle star | Rammstein | A fossil species from the Cretaceous of Rügen island, Germany. "[Genus] name formed by combining 'Astro', derived from the Greek 'astron' (meaning celestrial body) and referring to the superficial similarity with the non-related, star-shaped [genus] Astrophiura, and 'sombra', in reference to the Spanish word 'sombra' (meaning shade) and the French word 'sombre' (meaning dark), thus collectively translating into ‘dark star’. [...] Species named in honour of German rock band Rammstein, in recognition of their musical achievements, and because they are true dark stars." | [48] | ||
Atheris hetfieldi Ceríaco, Marques & Bauer, 2020 | Snake | James Hetfield | Named after Hetfield "for the inspiration, endurance and sanity that his music provides to the authors while roaming the academic world. [...] The authors said "[We] are big fans of Metallica and James Hetfield since a very young age. We wanted to honor him, as a thank you for all the good vibes his music has transmitted to us during all of our personal lives and careers. Also, we think that a mysterious venomous and cool looking snake, who lives in the base of a volcano lost in the middle of the tropical forest is very relatable to heavy metal! On another hand, naming a new species after someone as James brings more attention to the much needed biodiversity studies and field surveys. We are in race against the extinction of a large proportion of the world's biodiversity, and many species may go extinct before we even know they exist!." This snake lives in Bioko island in Equatorial Guinea and is characterised by "a triangular-shaped head and strongly-keeled scales, which gives them a dragon-like appearance, which certainly is consonant with the image of a singer of a heavy metal band." | [49][50] | ||
Atractides marizae Pešić, 2023 | Mite | Mariza | A water mite from Portugal, "named in honor of Marisa dos Reis Nunes, known professionally as Mariza, a famous Portuguese fado singer in the appreciation of the enjoyment her music brings to the authors." | [51] | ||
Aulacopleura andersoni † Adrain & Chatterton, 1995 | Trilobite | Glenn Anderson | One of thirteen Canadian species named, in a series of four papers, after members of the Edmonton Oilers team that won the 1990 Stanley Cup (See also species in genera Cyphaspis, Harpidella, Maurotarion, Otarion and Songkania). | [52] | ||
Aulacopleura ranfordi † Adrain & Chatterton, 1995 | Trilobite | Bill Ranford | One of thirteen Canadian species named, in a series of four papers, after members of the Edmonton Oilers team that won the 1990 Stanley Cup (See also species in genera Cyphaspis, Harpidella, Maurotarion, Otarion and Songkania). | [52] | ||
Augyles letovi Sazhnev, 2018 | Beetle | Yegor Letov | "Dedicated to Igor Fedorovich "Yegor" Letov, Russian poet, musician, singer, songwriter, audio engineer and conceptual art painter, best known as the founder and leader of the post-punk/psychedelic rock band Grazhdanskaya Oborona (Civil Defense)." | [53] | ||
Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi † Salamon et al., 2022 | Feather star | Volodymyr Zelenskyy | A fossil species from the Jurassic of Ethiopia, described by Polish scientists during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and named "In honour of Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, the sixth and current president of Ukraine for his courage and bravery in defending free Ukraine." | [54] | ||
Baicalellia daftpunka Stephenson, Van Steenkiste & Leander, 2018 | Flatworm | Daft Punk | The flatworm has a helmet-shaped structure on the end of the penis, thus the species name refers to Daft Punk, an electronic music duo who wore helmets while performing publicly. | [55] | ||
Balmaceda abba Edwards & Baert, 2018 | Spider | ABBA | A jumping spider from the Galápagos Islands. | [56] | ||
Baracktrema obamai Roberts, Platt & Bullard, 2016 | Fluke | Barack Obama | "named in honor of Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States of America, and 5th cousin, twice removed, of [the second author]." | [57] | ||
Bathyurina curtisi † Adrain, Karim & Westrop, 2014 | Trilobite | Ian Curtis | One of four species concurrently named after the members of Joy Division. | [58] | ||
Bathyurina hooki † Adrain, Karim & Westrop, 2014 | Trilobite | Peter Hook | One of four species concurrently named after the members of Joy Division. | [58] | ||
Bathyurina morrisi † Adrain, Karim & Westrop, 2014 | Trilobite | Stephen Morris | One of four species concurrently named after the members of Joy Division. | [58] | ||
Bathyurina sumneri † Adrain, Karim & Westrop, 2014 | Trilobite | Bernard Sumner | One of four species concurrently named after the members of Joy Division. | [58] | ||
Bauhinia sirindhorniae K.Larsen & S.Larsen | Legume | Sirindhorn | This species, endemic to Thailand, was "by gracious permission, dedicated to Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who has made great efforts to conserve the natural environments in Thailand." Subsequently transferred to genus Phanera. | [59][60] | ||
Begonia noraaunorae F.A.Blasco, Tandang, Alejandro & Rubite | Flowering plant | Nora Aunor | A begonia endemic to Mindanao, Philippines, "named after Nora Aunor, to honor her achievements in the entertainment industry. Born Nora Cabaltera Villamayor (1953–), 'Ate Guy' as fondly called by her colleagues, friends and fans is the only Filipino actor to have won international acting awards from five continents. Film producer, TV host, actor, singer, philanthropist and National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts awardee (the highest national recognition given to a Filipino artist)." | [61] | ||
Begonia sirindhorniana Phutthai, Thanant., Srisom & Suddee | Flowering plant | Sirindhorn | A begonia native to Thailand named "in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for her dedication to science and encouragement of conservation in Thailand." | [62] | ||
Bembidion brownorum Maddison, Sproul & Will, 2023 | Beetle | Jerry Brown and Anne Gust Brown | "The specific epithet [...] refers to Jerry and Anne Brown, former Governor and First Lady of California, respectively. The name is formed in their honor as it was their hospitality and openness to allowing access for research of insects on their ranch, the type locality, which led to the discovery of this species. Additionally, this honors their long commitment to environmentalism and continued efforts in the international climate-change movement." | [63] | ||
Blixaea Gottschling, 2017 | Protist | Blixa Bargeld | One of two genera of dinoflagellates named concurrently after the two permanent members of Einstürzende Neubauten (see also Unruhdinium). | [64] | ||
Bombus menchuae Asperen de Boer, 1995 | Bee | Rigoberta Menchú | A bumblebee described from specimens collected in the Guatemalan Highlands, "dedicated to Rigoberta Menchú Tum, winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace 1992, herself from Highland Guatemala and a staunch defender of the rights of the indigenous people of Guatemala." Subsequently synonymised with Bombus macgregori. | [65] | ||
Bouchardium chillygonzalesi Kamiński, 2024 | Beetle | Chilly Gonzales | [66] | |||
Bradyfallotaspis nicolascagei † Gapp, Lieberman, Pope & Dilliard, 2011 | Trilobite | Nicolas Cage | "Named in honor of trilobite enthusiast and Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage." | [67] | ||
Brezinacantha tolis † Thuy et al., 2018 | Brittle star | Sakis Tolis and Themis Tolis | A fossil species from the Cretaceous of South Dakota, US, named after two founding members of Rotting Christ to "honour their unorthodox yet powerful approach to music. The[se] ophiuroids [...] merit in many ways a Black-Metal-referenced name: they gathered in great numbers in a spooky, toxic environment on top of their dead predecessors’ remains." Sakis Tolis said "This is one of the greatest honors I have received as an individual and musician and it gives me power to keep on creating and offer these wild times." | [68][69] | ||
Brignolia shyami Ranasinghe & Benjamin, 2016 | Spider | Shyam Selvadurai | A goblin spider native to Sri Lanka "Named for Shyam Selvadurai, a Sri Lankan Canadian novelist best known for the novels Funny Boy and Cinnamon Gardens." Selvadurai said "This came as a complete surprise and I was thrilled. It's so surprising too that anyone would think to honour writers. Usually it's other scientists or political and social leaders [...] I also felt particularly happy to be recognized in Sri Lanka in this way. It validated all the work I do in the country in terms of reconciliation and also my work as curator of the Galle Literary Festival. And of course my novels too." | [70][71] | ||
Bristolia colberti † Gapp & Lieberman, 2014 | Trilobite | Stephen Colbert | [72] | |||
Bufonaria borisbeckeri Parth, 1996 | Sea snail | Boris Becker | "I dedicate the new species to Boris Becker, in my opinion the greatest German individual sportsman of all time." Subsequently transferred to the genus Bursina. | [73] | ||
Buxus sirindhorniana W.K.Soh, M.von Sternburg, Hodk. & J.Parn. | Flowering plant | Sirindhorn | A species of box native to Thailand, named "to honour Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, who is a strong advocate for the preservation of biodiversity in the country." | [74] | ||
Bythaelurus stewarti Weigmann, Kaschner & Thiel, 2018 | Shark | Rob Stewart | "The new species is named after the late filmmaker and shark conservationist Rob Stewart, who inspired the second author and stimulated her interest in sharks" | [75] | ||
Caenis gretathunbergae Malzacher, 2021 | Mayfly | Greta Thunberg | "The species is dedicated to Greta Thunberg. Her activities for climate protection will also keep mayflies in good stead." | [76] | ||
Caerostris tinamaze Gregorič, 2015 | Spider | Tina Maze | "named in honour of Tine Maze, Slovenian skier who won Crystal globe with 2414 points" | [77] | ||
Caloplaca obamae Knudsen (2009) | Lichen | Barack Obama | "for his support of science and scientific education." | [78] | ||
Cantharis kviumi † Fanti & Damgaard, 2020 | Beetle | Michael Kvium | A fossil soldier beetle found in Baltic amber from the Eocene of Kaliningrad Oblast. | [79] | ||
Cantharis mikkelsenorum † Fanti & Damgaard, 2018 | Beetle | Lars Mikkelsen and Mads Mikkelsen | A fossil soldier beetle found in Baltic amber from the Eocene of Kaliningrad Oblast. "This new species is named in honour of the Danish actors Lars Dittmann Mikkelsen and Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen, in recognition of their contribution to the television, theatre and film industries." | [80] | ||
Carcinonemertes conanobrieni Simpson, Ambrosio & Baeza, 2017 | Ribbon worm | Conan O'Brien | A marine worm which preys on the eggs of the Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus), "named after the social commentator and comedian Conan O’Brien. The physical similarities between the new species and Mr. O’Brien are remarkable; both exhibit a long and pale soma with slight tints of orange." | [81] | ||
Carmenelectra † Evenhuis, 2002 | Fly | Carmen Electra | [82] | |||
Carpotroche caceresiae D. Santam | Flowering plant | Berta Cáceres | A species native to Honduras and Nicaragua, "named in memory and recognition of the bravery of Berta Isabel Cáceres Flores (1971–2016), one of 123 environmental activists assassinated in retaliation for their opposition to environmental destruction and loss of indigenous land in Honduras, between 2009 and 2016 [...]. Berta Cáceres [...], in particular, was murdered because of her opposition to the Agua Zarcas [sic] hydroelectric project. She won the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2015." | [83] | ||
Castianeira swiftay Pett, 2023 | Spider | Taylor Swift | "The specific epithet is a noun in apposition, more specifically an anagram formed from the name of musician and global icon Taylor Swift, whose music has kept the first author energised and motivated through many late nights at the microscope." | [84] | ||
Cebrennus rambodjavani Moradmand, Zamani & Jäger, 2016 | Spider | Rambod Javan | A huntsman spider from Iran, "named after Mr Rambod Javan, an Iranian actor, director and comedian in recognition of his invaluable movements seeking to improve and protect natural environments and wildlife of Iran, especially via his most popular TV-program, Khandevaneh." | [85] | ||
Cherax snowden Lukhaup, Panteleit & Schrimpf, 2015 | Crustacean | Edward Snowden | "The new species is named after the american freedom fighter Edward Joseph Snowden. He is honored due to of his extraordinary achievements in defense of justice, and freedom." | [86] | ||
Cherax wagenknechtae Lukhaup & Eprilurahman, 2022 | Crustacean | Sahra Wagenknecht | "named after Sahra Wagenknecht, an outstanding German left-wing politician, economist, author and publicist. She inspired the first author to fight determinedly for a better and fairer future for us all. This is the best way we know to thank her for her much appreciated service and effort to represent the socially disadvantaged, her fight for freedom, peace and a rare talent to unite morals and politics." | [87] | ||
Chibchea thunbergae Huber, 2020 | Spider | Greta Thunberg | "This species is dedicated to Greta Thunberg for her courageous fight against human-induced climate change, defying the resistance of many, including some of the most powerful yet ignorant political leaders of the world." | [88] | ||
Chilomys carapazi Brito & Pardiñas, 2022 | Rodent | Richard Carapaz | A forest mouse from northern Ecuador, "Named in honor of Richard Carapaz Montenegro, an Ecuadorian professional cyclist born in the Provincia de Carchi." (the type locality) | [89] | ||
Chilomys neisi Brito et al., 2022 | Rodent | Neisi Dajomes | A forest mouse from southern Ecuador, "Named in honor of Neisi Dajomes Barrera, an Ecuadorian [...] weightlifting athlete born in the Provincia de Pastaza; Ecuadorian female Olympic gold medalist." | [89] | ||
Chironephthya sirindhornae Imahara et al., 2020 | Coral | Sirindhorn | "The specific epithet is named in honor of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, who has initiated and implemented the Plant Genetic Conservation Project for maintenance and conservation of biodiversity both on land and in the ocean." | [90] | ||
Chtonobdella tanae Tessler et al., 2016 | Leech | Amy Tan | "The species is named for the celebrated author Amy Tan in recognition of her years of support [of the American Museum of Natural History], and whose writings, charm and companionship in the field have been highly valued, as has her provoking much thought about the foibles of fieldwork with Saving Fish from Drowning, her novel that in three instances makes mention of terrestrial leeches." Tan said she was "thrilled to be immortalised" with this naming and jokingly added that she was "now planning my trip to Queensland, Australia, where I hope to take leisurely walks through the jungle, accompanied by a dozen or so of my namesakes feeding on my ankles". | [91][92] | ||
Cicinnus melgibsoni Herbin & Monzón Sierra, 2015 | Moth | Mel Gibson | "This new species is named after Mel Gibson, famous Irish-American actor, film director, producer and screen director, in recognition for his contribution and support to El Mirador project, species discovered during collecting in this archaeological zone." | [93] | ||
Cladomyrma sirindhornae Jaitrong et al., 2013 | Ant | Sirindhorn | [94] | |||
Clathria (Axosuberites) hillenburgi Annunziata, Cavalcanti, Santos & Pinheiro, 2019 | Sponge | Stephen Hillenburg | Brazilian demosponge species named after Stephen Hillenburg, marine science educator and creator of the famous animated series SpongeBob SquarePants, which also stars a sea sponge. | [95] | ||
Clavus andreolbrichi Fedosov & Puillandre, 2020 | Sea snail | André Olbrich | [96] | |||
Clavus kirkhammetti Fedosov & Puillandre, 2020 | Sea snail | Kirk Hammett | [96] | |||
Clusia dickinsoniana J. E. Nascim | Flowering plant | Bruce Dickinson | [97] | |||
Cnemaspis jackieii Pal, Mirza, Dsouza & Shanker, 2021 | Lizard | Jackie Chan | "The new species was found to be very fast and moved rapidly on rock boulders, sneaking into the smallest crevices to escape when approached, reminiscent of the stunts of Jackie Chan. His many screen characters as an explorer and adventurer have been an inspiration for the authors." | [98] | ||
Coecobrya sirindhornae Jantarit, Satasook & Deharveng, 2019 | Springtail | Sirindhorn | "This species is named to honour Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who is passionately interested in natural history and plays an important role in promoting the conservation of biodiversity and the environment of Thailand." | [99] | ||
Colemanus Fisher, 2015 | Wasp | Ronnie Coleman | "Named for bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman, who was famous for his back; referring to the robust and sculptured nature of the mesosomal dorsum." | [100] | ||
Conobregma bradpitti Quicke & Butcher, 2016 | Wasp | Brad Pitt | "Named after the senior author's favourite film actor Brad Pitt, whose poster adorned the wall of her laboratory during her doctoral studies." | [101] | ||
Craspedotropis gretathunbergae Schilthuizen et al., 2019 | Snail | Greta Thunberg | The name was chosen in recognition of Thunberg's much-publicized climate activism, and because this species is particularly vulnerable to climate change. | [102] | ||
Crematogaster gryllsi Sharaf & Hita Garcia, 2019 | Ant | Bear Grylls | "in honor of Bear Grylls, the survival instructor, in recognition of his remarkable efforts in spreading the culture of survival globally." | [103] | ||
Crematogaster jacindae Sharaf & Hita Garcia, 2019 | Ant | Jacinda Ardern | "in honor of Ms. Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, in recognition of her humanitarian attitudes towards Muslim and minority communities in New Zealand." | [103] | ||
Cretapalpus vittari † Downen & Selden, 2021 | Spider | Pabllo Vittar | A fossil species from the Crato Formation of Brazil. | [104] | ||
Crikey steveirwini Stanisic, 2009 | Snail | Steve Irwin | [105] | |||
Ctenus monaghani Jäger, 2013 | Spider | Dominic Monaghan | A wandering spider from Laos, "named in honour of the British actor Dominic Monaghan who filmed together with the author in Laos for the documentary show Wild Things; Dom’s enthusiasm for nature in general, and spiders and other little respected animals in particular, was the driving force behind the production of this documentary." Subsequently transferred to genus Bowie (which is named after musician David Bowie, see List of organisms named after famous people (born 1900–1949)). | [106][107] [108] | ||
Cynaeda gigantea cobaini Korb, 2019 | Moth | Kurt Cobain | A hairy grass moth from Kyrgyzstan. Originally described as a subspecies of Cynaeda gigantea, and subsequently promoted to species status, as Cynaeda cobaini. | [109][110] | ||
Cyphaspis buchbergeri † Adrain & Chatterton, 1996 | Trilobite | Kelly Buchberger | One of thirteen Canadian species named, in a series of four papers, after members of the Edmonton Oilers team that won the 1990 Stanley Cup (See also species in genera Aulacopleura, Harpidella, Maurotarion, Otarion and Songkania). | [111] | ||
Cyphaspis lowei † Adrain & Chatterton, 1996 | Trilobite | Kevin Lowe | One of thirteen Canadian species named, in a series of four papers, after members of the Edmonton Oilers team that won the 1990 Stanley Cup (See also species in genera Aulacopleura, Harpidella, Maurotarion, Otarion and Songkania). | [111] | ||
Cyphaspis mactavishi † Adrain & Chatterton, 1996 | Trilobite | Craig MacTavish | One of thirteen Canadian species named, in a series of four papers, after members of the Edmonton Oilers team that won the 1990 Stanley Cup (See also species in genera Aulacopleura, Harpidella, Maurotarion, Otarion and Songkania). | [111] | ||
Cyphaspis munii † Adrain & Chatterton, 1996 | Trilobite | Craig Muni | One of thirteen Canadian species named, in a series of four papers, after members of the Edmonton Oilers team that won the 1990 Stanley Cup (See also species in genera Aulacopleura, Harpidella, Maurotarion, Otarion and Songkania). | [111] | ||
Cyphochilus satyarthii Sabatinelli, 2020 | Beetle | Kailash Satyarthi | "Kailash Satyarthi was recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, founder of multiple social organizations in favor of children's rights in India, from where the new species of Cyphochilus is described." | [112] | ||
Cystomastacoides nicolepeelerae Quicke, 2013 | Wasp | Nicole D. Peeler | A favorite author of the lead biologist, who also named a species after fictional Beatrix Kiddo | [113] | ||
Cystomastacoides sachini Ranjith, 2018 | Wasp | Sachin Tendulkar | A species native to India, dedicated "to the 'master blaster', Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, former Indian cricketer, for making cricket a passion among Indian youngsters." | [114] | ||
Cystomastacoides yuvraji Ranjith, 2018 | Wasp | Yuvraj Singh | A species native to India, dedicated "to 'Indian King of Sixes' Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricketer for cheering the hearts of billions with his huge sixes." | [114] | ||
Darwinilus sedarisi Chatzimanolis, 2014 | Beetle | David Sedaris | Honors Sedaris "as an appreciation for his fascination with the natural world. I spent many hours listening to Mr Sedaris' audiobooks while preparing the specimens and the figures for this and other manuscripts." | [115] | ||
Dasyomyliobatis thomyorkei † Marramà et al., 2023 | Ray | Thom Yorke | A fossil species from the Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy. | [116] | ||
Deltapliomera eppersoni † McAdams, Adrain & Karim, 2018 | Trilobite | John Epperson | [117] | |||
Deltapliomera inglei † McAdams, Adrain & Karim, 2018 | Trilobite | Lady Bunny | Named after Lady Bunny's birth name, Jon Ingle. | [117] | ||
Deltapliomera heimbergi † McAdams, Adrain & Karim, 2018 | Trilobite | Miss Understood | Named after Miss Understood's birth name, Alex Heimberg. | [117] | ||
Dendropsophus manonegra Rivera-Correa & Orrico, 2013 | Frog | Mano Negra | A tree frog from Colombia whose "specific name manonegra [...] is Spanish for "black hand" making reference to the unusual black flash colors of the species, especially in the webbing. It is concurrently a tribute to Mano Negra, a rock band of the 80's and 90's. The band was in contact with the nature, culture and society of Colombia through their project "El Expreso del Hielo" (The Train of Ice), a fantastic train ride that crossed Colombia." | [118] | ||
Depressizona exorum Geiger, 2003 | Sea snail | The Ex | [119] | |||
Desmopachria barackobamai Makhan, 2015 | Beetle | Barack Obama | A diving beetle from French Guiana | [120] | ||
Diamphipnoa colberti Stark, 2008 | Stonefly | Stephen Colbert | "I am pleased to honor an entertaining, provocative, former American presidential candidate, Stephen Colbert, of The Colbert Report with this patronym." | [121] | ||
Dicranogmus wynni † Adrain, 2003 | Trilobite | Steve Wynn | [122] | |||
Diegoglossidium maradonai Montes et al., 2022 | Fluke | Diego Maradona | A parasite of Hoplosternum littorale from La Plata River basin, in Argentina. The genus "is named in honour of Diego Maradona, the greatest Argentinean football player for the joy he brought to people regardless of nationality." The species "is named after Diego Maradona for the reasons mentioned above and for the love he always demonstrated for his country." | [123] | ||
Dietotenhosen † Santelli & del Río, 2019 | Bivalve | Die Toten Hosen | A fossil genus of scallop from the Miocene and Pliocene of South America. | [124] | ||
Diolcogaster ichiroi Fernandez-Triana, 2018 | Wasp | Ichiro Suzuki | "This unique and remarkable species is named to honor the truly unique and remarkable Ichiro Suzuki, my favorite baseball player and one the best ever to play the game. At the time the research for this paper was being conducted, Ichiro was still playing for a Florida team and thus naming a species endemic from Florida after him made complete sense. Unfortunately, the new owners of the Miami Marlins did not keep Ichiro, an unpopular decision not liked by many Marlins fans. Hopefully soon another Major League team gives the Universal Hit King the chance to continue his extraordinary career in baseball." | [125] | ||
Discheramocephalus malalae Darby, 2016 | Beetle | Malala Yousafzai | "I have pleasure in naming this species after Malala Yousafzai (Malala = grief-stricken in the Pashto language), a co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. Her leadership and activism for education is crucial to her generation's sound stewardship of the world's environment for peace and security." | [126] | ||
Discinisca messi † Pérez et al., 2023 | Brachiopod | Lionel Messi | A fossil species from the Miocene of Argentina. The lead author said "The work was sent in its final version to the Ameghiniana journal on 20 December [of 2022], when all the Argentinian people were celebrating the arrival of the players in the country. There was no other option. It is a small way to dedicate something to one of the two most important players in the history of the Argentine national team and world football. And to thank him for the joy he gave us". | [127][128] | ||
Djupedalia † Knutsen et al., 2012 | Plesiosaur | Øystein Djupedal | A plesiosaur from the Jurassic of Svalbard, Norway, named "In honour of Øystein Kåre Djupedal, Norway's Minister of Education and Research from 2005-2007, whose commitment to the Jurassic marine reptile project made the excavations in Svalbard possible." | [129][130] | ||
Dokimocephalus oliveri † Westrop, Waskiewicz Poole & Adrain, 2010 | Trilobite | John Oliver | [131] | |||
Dokimocephalus stewarti † Westrop, Waskiewicz Poole & Adrain, 2010 | Trilobite | Jon Stewart | [131] | |||
Dolomedes briangreenei Raven & Hebron, 2018 | Spider | Brian Greene | A species of fishing spider from Australia, named "in honour of Professor Brian Greene, world renowned physicist and co-founder of the World Science Festival, to celebrate Professor Greene’s contributions to science. Professor Greene is one of the world’s leading experts in exploring and explaining the effects of gravitational waves in the universe and the connection was due to the way pisaurids hunt their prey on water using waves and associated vibrations." | [132] | ||
Dravidogecko douglasadamsi Chaitanya et al., 2019 | Lizard | Douglas Adams | "The specific epithet is a patronym honouring the English author and satirist, Douglas Noel Adams. Adams was also a renowned environmental activist. His radio documentary on critically endangered animals for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) titled Last Chance to See and its accompanying book influenced the thinking of a whole generation of wildlife biologists. The etymology also alludes to the number '42'—the number of precloacofemoral pores that most specimens of this species possess. The number 42 incidentally is also the answer to the "ultimate question of Life, The Universe and Everything" according to Adams’ seminal book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." | [133] | ||
Duvalius djokovici Ćurčić, Pavićević & Vesović, 2022 | Beetle | Novak Djokovic | A troglobiont carabid beetle found in an underground pit in Mount Povlen, Serbia, named after Djokovic "due to its speed, strength, flexibility, durability and ability to survive in a difficult environment." "He is the man who did much for this country. We feel urged to pay him back in the way we can", said researcher Nikola Vesović. | [134][135] | ||
Eadya annleckieae Ridenbaugh, 2018 | Wasp | Ann Leckie | [136] | |||
Echiniscus madonnae Michalczyk & Kaczmarek, 2006 | Tardigrade | Madonna | [137] | |||
Edmundsina reboloi Ortea & Moro, 2020 | Sea slug | Rafael Rebolo López | "Dedicated to Dr. Rafael Rebolo López, researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. In 1995 he discovered the first brown dwarfs in our galaxy. Canary Islands Award for Research 2002." The holotype of this species, collected in Cabo Verde, is deposited in the Museo de la Naturaleza y Arqueología, Tenerife. | [138] | ||
Eldivo Hazzi & Hormiga, 2024 | Spider | Juan Gabriel | A genus of Mexican wandering spiders "dedicated to the memory of Alberto Aguilera Valadez, known professionally as Juan Gabriel and colloquially as "El Divo". Juan Gabriel was a Mexican singer and songwriter that was known for his histrionic style, which overcame barriers within the Latin music." | [139] | ||
Elseya irwini Cann, 1997 | Turtle | Steve Irwin | [105] | |||
Elysia deborahae Ortea, Caballer, Moro & Espinosa, 2005 | Sea slug | Deborah Andollo | A species native to Cuba, named "in honour of the Cuban freediver Deborah Andollo (Havana, 1967), world record holder in free diving, with 74 m depth (!) in 2001." | [140] | ||
Enyalioides binzayedi Venegas et al., 2013 | Lizard | Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan | "honoring Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE, who created the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (MBZSCF) to support species conservation projects around the globe. Field surveys leading to the discovery of the two species reported on in this paper were supported by a grant from the MBZSCF." | [141] | ||
Enyalioides dickinsoni Venegas et al., 2024 | Lizard | Bruce Dickinson | "honouring Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958), who is best known as the lead singer of the legendary heavy metal band Iron Maiden, though he is also a music producer, entrepreneur, competitive fencer, novelist, aviator, broadcaster and the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and awards. In 2016, he flew a loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, that washed up on a Jersey beach to the Canary Islands in his private plane, thus contributing to the awareness and protection of this vulnerable species. We also highlight that Iron Maiden is a popular band among taxonomists and museum curators who appreciate rock music." | [142] | ||
Episinus bonjovi Lin & Li, 2021 | Spider | Bon Jovi | "honoring the American rock band Bon Jovi, composer of the music album Have a Nice Day and the singles "Because We Can" and "Living On A Prayer", which encouraged the author by their songs full of romance and freedom" | [143] | ||
Episinus jiangweni Lin & Li, 2021 | Spider | Jiang Wen | A comb-footed spider native to China, "named after the famous director Mr. Wen Jiang, in honor of his tremendous impact on Chinese cinema" | [143] | ||
Eridanula susannaebierae † Fanti & Damgaard, 2018 | Beetle | Susanne Bier | A fossil soldier beetle found in Baltic amber from the Eocene of Kaliningrad Oblast, "named in honour of Danish film director Susanne Bier, to thank her for her films and to recognize her for the awards she has earned." | [80] | ||
Eristalis alleni Thompson, 1997 | Fly | Paul Allen | "named after Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, in recognition of his contributions to the PC revolution." On his website, the author also said this species "was named after Paul Allen in recognition of his great contributions to the science of Dipterology." | [144][145] | ||
Eristalis gatesi Thompson, 1997 | Fly | Bill Gates | "named after William Gates III, the co-founder of Microsoft, in recognition of his contributions to the PC revolution." On his website, the author also said this species "was named after Bill Gates in recognition of his great contributions to the science of Dipterology." | [144][146] | ||
Etheostoma obama Mayden & Layman, 2012 | Fish | Barack Obama | The scientific name of the spangled darter, endemic to rivers of Tennessee, honors Obama for "his environmental leadership and commitment during challenging economic times in the areas of clean energy, energy efficiency, environmental protection and humanitarian efforts globally, and especially for the people of the United States." | [147][148] | ||
Eualebra moralesi Dietrich, 2013 | Leafhopper | Evo Morales | This species is native to Bolivia. | [149] | ||
Euastacus binzayedi Coughran & Furse, 2013 | Crustacean | Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan | "Named for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates, in acknowledgement of his substantial contributions to conservation of endangered species, through the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund. The Fund supports conservation initiatives for plants and animals throughout the world, and has generously supported recent conservation initiatives for the highly imperiled crayfish genus Euastacus. | [150] | ||
Eucosmogastra sirindhornae Pinkaew & Leadprathom, 2016 | Moth | Sirindhorn | A leafroller moth native to Thailand. | [151] | ||
Eulaema quadragintanovem Nemésio & Ferrari, 2012 | Bee | Ronaldinho | 'Quadraginta novem' means forty-nine, the number of Ronaldinho's T-shirt at Clube Atlético Mineiro (his team at the time this species was named). Ronaldinho chose the number 49 as a homage to his mother, born in 1949. | [152] | ||
Euthora timburtonii Clarkston & G.W. Saunders, 2010 | Alga | Tim Burton | "Named for Tim Burton, because the alga and its common substrate (polychaete worm tube) together resemble a macabre flower in the style of T. Burton’s artistic contributions." | [153] | ||
Eviota santanai Greenfield & Erdmann, 2013 | Fish | Nino Konis Santana | A dwarfgoby from East Timor, "named in honor of Connisso Antonino ("Nino Konis") Santana, a national hero in Timor-Leste's struggle for independence who was renowned for his environmental awareness. The type locality of this beautiful goby species is in Tutuala, just offshore of Santana's birthplace, and moreover is located within the Nino Konis Santana National Park." | [154] | ||
Extraordinarius andrematosi Rheims, 2019 | Spider | Andre Matos | "The species name honors Andre Coelho Matos (1971–2019), Brazilian singer, composer, maestro and pianist, lead singer for the heavy metal bands Viper, Angra and Shaman. A great guy that left us too soon" (the paper was published three months after Matos's death). | [155] | ||
Extraordinarius angusyoungi Rheims, 2022 | Spider | Angus Young | "The species name honors Angus Young, lead guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of the Australian rock band AC/DC. He is best known for his stage schoolboy uniform outfits and energetic performances" | [156] | ||
Extraordinarius brucedickinsoni Rheims, 2019 | Spider | Bruce Dickinson | "The specific name honors Bruce Dickinson, singer, writer and airplane pilot, best known for being lead singer of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden." | [155] | ||
Extraordinarius rickalleni Rheims, 2019 | Spider | Rick Allen | "The species name honors Rick Allen, drummer for the British rock band Def Leppard, who lost an arm in a car accident but continues to play the drums with an especially adapted drum set." | [155] | ||
Figuladra robertirwini L. Stanisic, 2024 | Snail | Robert Irwin | An Australian land snail "Named for Robert Irwin, conservationist and wildlife photographer, Australia Zoo." | [157] | ||
Filistata maguirei Marusik & Zamani, 2015 | Spider | Tobey Maguire | Maguire starred in four Spider-Man films. | [158] | ||
Flemingia sirindhorniae Mattapha, Chantar. & Suddee | Legume | Sirindhorn | A species native to Thailand, named "in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand who has initiated the Plant Genetic Conservation Project under the Royal Initiative of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn." The vernacular name "Thep-pa-mat" (เทพมาศ) was given by the Princess herself. | [159] | ||
Foenatopus nimaarkanii Ghafouri Moghaddam & Rakhshani, 2018 | Wasp | Nima Arkani-Hamed | A Stephanid parasitoid wasp native to Iran, "named after Prof. Nima Arkani Hamed from Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey - theoretical physicist with interests in high energy physics, string theory and cosmology - due to authority on some of the new debates of physics." | [160] | ||
Forteyaspis adamanti † Karim & Adrain, 2022 | Trilobite | Adam Ant | [20] | |||
Forteyaspis idoli † Karim & Adrain, 2022 | Trilobite | Billy Idol | [20] | |||
Friesodielsia lalisae Damth., Baka & Chaowasku | Flowering plant | Lisa (rapper) | "named in honour of Lalisa Manobal, a famous Thai rapper, singer and dancer, whose motivation has greatly inspired the first author to overcome any obstacles during her Ph.D. study." | [161] | ||
Fukomys ilariae Gippoliti & Amori, 2011 | Rodent | Ilaria Alpi | A rare mole rat from Somalia, "dedicated to Miss Ilaria Alpi, an Italian journalist, who together with her cameraman Miran Hrovatin, was assassinated in Mogadishu in 1994, while investigating trade in toxic cargoes between Italy and Somalia." | [162] | ||
Gaga Pryer et al. | Fern | Lady Gaga | "named in honor of the American pop singer-songwriter-performer Lady Gaga, for her articulate and fervent defense of equality and individual expression in today's society. Because Lady Gaga speaks to the need for humanity to celebrate broad differences within its own species, we hereby provide her with a scientific namesake that characterizes the struggle to understand the intricate biology underlying cryptic patterns of diversity. Because public funding supports basic research, this naming honor allows us to acknowledge the confluence between science and public interests, and to make our findings more accessible and relevant to the diversity of individuals who fund our work. The name Gaga also echoes one of the molecular synapomorphies that characterizes the genus. At nucleotide positions 598–601 in the matK gene alignment, all Gaga species have "GAGA", a sequence pattern not seen at this site in any other cheilanthoid fern sampled". Concurrently with the genus, two species were described: Gaga germanotta, named for Lady Gaga's parents Cynthia and Joe Germanotta, and Gaga monstraparva, Latin for "little monster" | [163] | ||
Gagadon † Stucky & Covert, 2014 | Even-toed ungulate | Lady Gaga | The type species is named Gagadon minimonstrum. | [164] | ||
Gammarus stasiuki Jażdżewski, Mamos & Grabowski, 2021 | Crustacean | Andrzej Stasiuk | A freshwater amphipod found in streams of the Eastern Carpathians and named "in honour of Andrzej Stasiuk, a very successful and internationally acclaimed Polish writer, journalist and literary critic. By this we pay tribute to his travel literature and essays that describe the natural and cultural environment of Eastern Europe, including the Carpathians, where he has chosen to settle." | [165] | ||
Geotrigona joearroyoi Gonzalez & Engel, 2012 | Bee | Joe Arroyo | A stingless bee from the Caribbean region of Colombia, "named in tribute to the late Colombian tropical music singer, composer, and songwriter Alvaro José Arroyo González (1 November 1955–26 July 2011). This artist, also known as Joe Arroyo or El Joe, was nationally and internationally known for his unique way of combining a diverse array of Caribbean music styles, including salsa, cumbia, porro, soca, kompa, and zouk." | [166] | ||
Gibberula adzubae Ortea, 2015 | Sea snail | Caddy Adzuba | One of 21 sea snails of the genus Gibberula concurrently named after female winners of the Prince of Asturias Awards (see also List of organisms named after famous people (born 1900–1949)).[note 2] "Named in honour of Congolese lawyer Caddy Adzuba (Bukavu, 1981), laureate of the 2014 Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, an activist for women's rights, children's rights and freedom of the press in her country." | [167] | ||
Gibberula betancourtae Ortea, 2015 | Sea snail | Ingrid Betancourt | One of 21 sea snails of the genus Gibberula concurrently named after female winners of the Prince of Asturias Awards. "Named in honour of Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt (Bogotá, Colombia, 1961), who was awarded the 2008 Prince of Asturias Award for Concord in recognition of her struggle in defence of human rights and against terrorist violence. In the same year she was awarded the French Legion of Honour." | [167] | ||
Gibberula boulmerkae Ortea, 2015 | Sea snail | Hassiba Boulmerka | One of 21 sea snails of the genus Gibberula concurrently named after female winners of the Prince of Asturias Awards. "Named in honour of middle-distance runner Hassiba Boulmerka (Constantine, Algeria, 1968), winner of the 1995 Prince of Asturias Award for Sports, winner of her country's first gold medal at the Olympic Games (Barcelona 92) and a tireless fighter for women's rights." | [167] | ||
Gibberula grafae Ortea, 2015 | Sea snail | Steffi Graf | One of 21 sea snails of the genus Gibberula concurrently named after female winners of the Prince of Asturias Awards. "Named in honour of tennis player Steffi Graf (Mannheim, Germany, 1969), winner of the 1999 Prince of Asturias Award for Sports, winner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments, including seven at Wimbledon and six at Roland Garros." | [167] | ||
Gibberula isinbayevae Ortea, 2015 | Sea snail | Yelena Isinbayeva | One of 21 sea snails of the genus Gibberula concurrently named after female winners of the Prince of Asturias Awards. "Named in honour of athlete Yelena Isinbayeva (Volvograd, Russia, 1961), winner of the 2009 Prince of Asturias Award for Sports; specialist in the pole vault, she was the first woman to surpass the height of 5 m. Gold medallist at the Athens Olympic Games (2004), she broke the World record 18 times." | [167] | ||
Gibberula navratilovae Ortea, 2015 | Sea snail | Martina Navratilova | One of 21 sea snails of the genus Gibberula concurrently named after female winners of the Prince of Asturias Awards. "Named in honour of Czech-born American tennis player Martina Navratilova (Prague, Czech Republic, 1956), distinguished in 1994 with the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports, number one in the women's world ranking (1982-87) and winner of tournaments such as Wimbledon, eight times, and Roland Garros, twice." | [167] | ||
Gibberula rowlingae Ortea, 2015 | Sea snail | J. K. Rowling | One of 21 sea snails of the genus Gibberula concurrently named after female winners of the Prince of Asturias Awards. "Named in honour of British writer Joanne Kathlenn Rowling (Yate, 1965), winner of the 2003 Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, creator of the Harry Potter book series, a literary phenomenon with more than 500 million copies sold. In 2000 she was made an official Dame of the British Empire and in 2008 a Dame of the Legion of Honour of the French Republic." | [167] | ||
Gigagryllus omayrae Cadena-Castañeda & García García, 2020 | Cricket | Omayra Sánchez | "a new genus of giant field cricket, from the middle Magdalena of Colombia, more precisely from the department of Tolima, in the region of the Armero tragedy, for which this species is dedicated to the memory of Omayra Sánchez" "Dedicated to the memory of Omayra Sánchez (1972-1985), a symbol of the most devastating natural tragedy in Colombia, a victim of the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in 1985. She gained worldwide recognition by being trapped in the mud and remains of her own home for three days until her death." | [168] | ||
Gladiatoria crowei † Adrain, McAdams & Westrop 2011 | Trilobite | Russell Crowe | One of five trilobites of the genus Gladiatoria concurrently named after cast members of the 2000 film Gladiator (see also List of organisms named after famous people (born 1900–1949)). | [169] | ||
Gladiatoria nielsenae † Adrain, McAdams & Westrop 2011 | Trilobite | Connie Nielsen | One of five trilobites of the genus Gladiatoria concurrently named after cast members of the 2000 film Gladiator. | [169] | ||
Gladiatoria phoenixi † Adrain, McAdams & Westrop 2011 | Trilobite | Joaquin Phoenix | One of five trilobites of the genus Gladiatoria concurrently named after cast members of the 2000 film Gladiator. | [169] | ||
Gladiopycnodus byrnei † Marramà, Villier, Dalla Vecchia & Carnevale, 2016 | Fish | David Byrne | A fossil Pycnodont from the Cretaceous of Lebanon. | [170] | ||
Glyptothorax alidaeii Mousavi-Sabet, Eagderi, Vatandoust & Freyhof, 2021 | Catfish | Ali Daei | "in honor of Ali Daei, due to his humanitarian activities after the 2018 earthquake in region, where the Seymareh River (type locality of G. alidaeii) is located." | [171][172] | ||
Goloboffia megadeth Ferretti, Ríos-Tamayo & Goloboff, 2019 | Spider | Megadeth | [173] | |||
Goniozus musae Ward, 2013 | Wasp | Muse | A bethylid wasp from New Zealand. "This species is named after the music band, Muse. [The name] also refers to 'musings' over the placement of this species." | [174] | ||
Gormaniella Lewis, Robison & Fay-Wei Li | Green alga | Amanda Gorman | "It was a very dark time," said Li. "The COVID-19 pandemic had been going on for almost a year, and then there were the riots at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021." After rounds of fruitless brainstorming, the lab group found inspiration during President Joe Biden's inauguration, when poet Amanda Gorman read her poem, "The Hill We Climb." "At a point when it was sometimes difficult to find meaning in our research, Amanda Gorman gifted us with this incredibly uplifting poem that gave us a renewed sense of hope in the lab" | [175][176] | ||
Granulina keilori Espinosa & Ortea, 2019 | Sea snail | Keylor Navas | A species from the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, "Named in honour of the outstanding Costa Rican sportsman Keilor Navas, captain of the Costa Rica national football team, a symbol for the youth of his country, "pura vida" (pure life) as some sports narrators nicknamed him, Trofeo Comunidad Iberoamericana 2018 at the [Spanish] Premios Nacionales del Deporte (National Sports Awards)." | [177] | ||
Grouvellinus andrekuipersi Freitag, Pangantihon & Njunjić, 2018 | Beetle | André Kuipers | "named after the Dutch astronaut André Kuipers in recognition of his engagement against the loss of the planet’s natural resources and his ambassadorship for various entomological organizations. The name was elected in an online public contest organized by the science program De Kennis van Nu of the Dutch public broadcaster NTR." | [178] | ||
Grouvellinus leonardodicaprioi Freitag, Pangantihon & Njunjić, 2018 | Beetle | Leonardo DiCaprio | "named in honour of the actor Leonardo DiCaprio to acknowledge his inspiring work in promoting environmental awareness and bringing the problems of climate change and biodiversity loss into the spotlight. The species name was selected during a naming ceremony at Maliau Basin Studies Centre on 6 October 2017, in which expedition participants as well as a large number of field centre staff and porters took part." | [178][179] | ||
Hannia wintoni Shelley et al., 2020 | Fish | Tim Winton | A freshwater grunter found in rivers of the Kimberley (Western Australia), named "in honour of Western Australian author and Kimberley conservationist Tim Winton, whose many novels espouse a love of fish and the Australian landscape" | [180] | ||
Harpidella greggi † Adrain & Chatterton, 1995 | Trilobite | Randy Gregg | One of thirteen Canadian species named, in a series of four papers, after members of the Edmonton Oilers team that won the 1990 Stanley Cup (See also species in genera Aulacopleura, Cyphaspis, Maurotarion, Otarion and Songkania). | [181] | ||
Harpidella kurrii † Adrain & Chatterton, 1995 | Trilobite | Jari Kurri | One of thirteen Canadian species named, in a series of four papers, after members of the Edmonton Oilers team that won the 1990 Stanley Cup (See also species in genera Aulacopleura, Cyphaspis, Maurotarion, Otarion and Songkania). | [181] | ||
Harpidella tikkaneni † Adrain & Chatterton, 1995 | Trilobite | Esa Tikkanen | One of thirteen Canadian species named, in a series of four papers, after members of the Edmonton Oilers team that won the 1990 Stanley Cup (See also species in genera Aulacopleura, Cyphaspis, Maurotarion, Otarion and Songkania). | [181] | ||
Heckethornia ballionae † McAdams & Adrain, 2009 | Trilobite | Siouxsie Sioux | Named after Sioux's birth name, Susan Ballion. | [182] | ||
Heckethornia hyndeae † McAdams & Adrain, 2009 | Trilobite | Chrissie Hynde | [182] | |||
Heckethornia morrisseyi † McAdams & Adrain, 2009 | Trilobite | Steven Morrissey | [182] | |||
Heckethornia numani † McAdams & Adrain, 2009 | Trilobite | Gary Numan | [182] | |||
Heckethornia smithi † McAdams & Adrain, 2009 | Trilobite | Robert Smith | [182] | |||
Hemiandrus jacinda Trewick, 2021 | Wētā | Jacinda Ardern | [183] | |||
Henosepilachna frusciantei Szawaryn, 2012 | Beetle | John Frusciante | "The species is named after one of my favourite musicians – John Frusciante. His music inspires me significantly and always accompanies my research." | [184] | ||
Heterachthes caceresae Santos-Silva, Van Roie & Jocqué, 2021 | Beetle | Berta Cáceres | A longhorn beetle from Honduras "named after Berta Isabel Cáceres Flores (Berta Cáceres for short) who supported indigenous communities and was an active opponent of illegal logging and mass plantations. She was murdered at her home in March 2016." | [185] | ||
Heteragrion johndeaconi Lencioni, 2013 | Damselfly | John Deacon | One of four Heteragrion species named after members of the band Queen (see also List of organisms named after famous people (born 1900–1949)). | [186] | ||
Heteromysis fosteri Wittmann & Griffiths, 2017 | Crustacean | Craig Foster (filmmaker) | An opossum shrimp from South Africa, "named after well-know [sic] underwater-photographer and diver Craig Foster, who has accompanied and assisted the second author in many collecting expeditions and who made all in situ photographs and sampled all specimens of [...] this species" | [187] | ||
Heteropoda helge Jäger, 2008 | Spider | Helge Schneider | "in honour of Helge Schneider, a German comedian, for revolutionising the comedy scene" | [188] | ||
Heteropoda ninahagen Jäger, 2008 | Spider | Nina Hagen | "named after the German rock- and punk singer Nina hagen, who inspired the author with her unique songs and texts over many years, which were as unusual as the shape of the RTA [Retrolateral tibial apophysis] in this new species" | [188][189] | ||
Heteropoda richlingi Jäger, 2008 | Spider | Mathias Richling | "in honour of the German cabaret artist Mathias Richling for observing and commenting politicians in Germany and his tremendous sagacious neologisms" | [188] | ||
Holostaspis mooni Keum, Jung & Joharchi, 2017 | Mite | Moon Jae-in | "This species is named after Mr Moon Jae-in, the President of the Republic of Korea, in recognition of his invaluable movements seeking to improve and protect natural environments and wildlife in the Republic of Korea" (which this species is native to). | [190] | ||
Hortipes wimmertensi Bosselaers & Jocqué, 2000 | Spider | Wim Mertens | "in honor of the Flemish composer Wim Mertens, protagonist of the European romantic minimalist school." | [191] | ||
Hoya indaysarae M.N.Medina, R.J.T.Villanueva, Kloppenb. & Cabras | Flowering plant | Sara Duterte | A waxvine native to Dinagat Islands, Philippines, named after then Davao City Mayor, Sara Duterte-Carpio (known as Inday Sara by the Davaoeños), daughter of then president Rodrigo Duterte, for her support for nature conservation initiatives in the region. "I am thankful that everyone knows that I like flowers and I am happy that there is a flower named after me," said Duterte. | [192][193] [194] | ||
Hydrolagus trolli Didier & Séret, 2002 | Chimaera | Ray Troll | "Named for Ray Troll, an artist of fishes, and one of the few true chimaeroid lovers of the world. This fish is named in his honor for his valiant efforts to increase ratfish awareness worldwide." | [195] | ||
Hyla stingi Kaplan, 1994 | Frog | Sting | Colombian tree frog named after Sting "for his commitment and efforts to save the rain forest." Subsequently transferred to genus Dendropsophus. | [196][105] | ||
Hylomyrma macielae Ulysséa, 2021 | Ant | Formiga | "named after Miraildes Maciel Mota, a black Brazilian woman and footballer, popularly known as "Formiga" (=ant in Portuguese). Formiga holds many international records; she is the only player present in all female football editions in the Olympic Games (the first edition happened in 1996), and has participated in seven different FIFA Women's World Cups." | [197] | ||
Hylomyrma marielleae Ulysséa, 2021 | Ant | Marielle Franco | "named in honor of Marielle Franco (1979–2018), born Marielle Francisco da Silva, a black Brazilian woman, politician, feminist, and human rights activist, whose assassination, motivated by her positions and actions against all forms of discrimination, happened during her mandate as a representative in Rio de Janeiro local Assembly." The holotype was collected in Brazil. | [197] | ||
Hyloscirtus sethmacfarlanei Reyes-Puig et al., 2022 | Frog | Seth MacFarlane | "in honor of Seth MacFarlane, American writer, director, producer, actor, artist, musician and conservationist, with an outstanding passion for science, biodiversity and the natural world." | [198] | ||
Hypotrachyna oprah Lendemer & J.L.Allen (2019) | Lichen | Oprah Winfrey | A foliose lichen native to the Southeastern United States. "The specific epithet was chosen to honor Dr. Oprah Winfrey for her performances, media presence, and generous philanthropy that have substantially improved humanity." "The new species honors Dr. Oprah Winfrey, widely considered to be the world’s most influential woman, to commemorate her lifelong accomplishments and contributions in the realms of media and philanthropy." | [199] | ||
Hystricurus zanderi † Adrain, Westrop, Karim & Landing 2014 | Trilobite | Robin Zander | [200] | |||
Ibexaspis coadyi † McAdams, Adrain & Karim, 2018 | Trilobite | Sharon Needles | Named after Needles's birth name, Aaron Coady. | [117] | ||
Ibexaspis leuppi † McAdams, Adrain & Karim, 2018 | Trilobite | Miss Coco Peru | Named after Peru's birth name, Clinton Leupp. | [117] | ||
Ibexaspis rupauli † McAdams, Adrain & Karim, 2018 | Trilobite | RuPaul | [117] | |||
Icius tukarami Prajapati, Kumbhar & Kamboj, 2021 | Spider | Tukaram Omble | A jumping spider native to India. "The specific epithet is dedicated to a hero of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, ASI Tukaram Omble AC, who took 23 bullets and captured the terrorist of the attack." | [201] | ||
Icius vikrambatrai Prajapati, Malamel, Sudhikumar & Sebastian, 2018 | Spider | Vikram Batra | A jumping spider native to India. "The specific epithet is a tribute to the Indian Kargil war hero, Captain Vikram Batra, PVC, an officer of the Indian Army. He was posthumously awarded with the Param Vir Chakra (India’s highest and most prestigious award for valour) for his tremendous actions during the 1999 Kargil War in Kashmir, for which he was also known as 'Sher Shah' ('Lion King')." | [202] | ||
Idiogramma elbakyanae Khalaim, 2017 | Wasp | Alexandra Elbakyan | "named in honour of [...][the] creator of the web-site Sci-Hub, in recognition of her contribution to making scientific knowledge available for all researchers" | [203] | ||
Idris elba Talamas, 2019 | Wasp | Idris Elba | In explaining the etymology of the name, the authors merely wrote: "The epithet 'elba' is an arbitrary combination of letters that is to be treated as a noun in apposition." In a statement, Talamas elaborated on the choice, noting that were the species to be explicitly named after Idris Elba, it would then be a patronym, and thus, following Latin grammar rules, the wasp would have to be called Idris elbai. Treating the specific epithet as merely "an arbitrary combination of letters", however, avoided this grammar issue. Talamas also said that this wasp "might prove to be a Heimdall-like "protector" for many crops", because it parasitises the eggs of the painted bug, Bagrada hilaris, which is considered a major pest in North America. Elba plays Heimdall, protector of the Bifröst bridge, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. | [204][205] [206] | ||
Impatiens dorjeekhandui Chowlu, S. S. Dash & Gogoi | Flowering plant | Dorjee Khandu | A balsamine native to the Eastern Himalayas, named "after Late Dorjee Khandu, former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh for his service to the nation and contribution for better development in the Himalayan state." | [207] | ||
Impatiens nimspurjae Raskoti | Flowering plant | Nirmal Purja | A species of balsamine native to Gandaki Province, Nepal. "The specific epithet 'nimspurjae' honours Mr. Nirmal Purja (nickname Nimsdai) for his initiation on conservation through climate change champion. [sic]" | [208] | ||
Impatiens shailajae Sindhu Arya & V.S.A Kumar | Flowering plant | K. K. Shailaja | A balsamine native to Kerala, India, "eponymous to Mrs. K.K. Shailaja, former Health Minister of Kerala, honoring her efforts to tackle various epidemic and pandemic situations in the state of Kerala through scientific temper." | [209] | ||
Impatiens sirindhorniae Triboun & Suksathan | Flowering plant | Sirindhorn | A balsamine native to Thailand, named "in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn for her dedication and encouragement to the environmental sciences and biodiversity conservation in Thailand." | [210] | ||
Indirana tysoni Dahanukar et al., 2016 | Frog | Neil deGrasse Tyson | "The species is named after the famous Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, for his effective, innovative, witty and entertaining contributions to popularizing and communicating science to the general public." | [211] | ||
Iniestapodus † Torcida Fernández-Baldor et al., 2021 | Dinosaur | Andrés Iniesta | A fossil ichnogenus of sauropod dinosaurs described from tracks found on sedimentary rocks from the late Jurassic/early Cretaceous of Spain. The name, meaning "Iniesta's foot", is "dedicated to Andrés Iniesta, the Spanish footballer who scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final." In a press release, the discoverers said "The tracks indicate, as in the case of the footballer from La Mancha, firm, elegant, graceful, well-marked steps of a dinosaur with a peaceful character, enduring in time, leaving a good trace [...] In the same way that the footsteps of the dinosaurs of Burgos have lasted millions of years, the talent and successes of Andrés Iniesta make up a fundamental part of the history of the Spanish national team and world football." | [212][213] | ||
Iolaus freyaallanae Sáfián, 2022 | Butterfly | Freya Allan | "The species is named in honour of Miss Freya Allan, the British actress, who stars as Princess Cirilla Fiona Ellen Rianon – 'Ciri' in the internationally successful Netflix series The Witcher: also featured in the action comedy Gunpowder Milkshake and HBO Max’s The Third Day. " | [214] | ||
Kahlerosphaera pamuki † Kozur, Moix & Ozsvárt, 2007 | Protist | Orhan Pamuk | A fossil radiolarian from the Triassic of Turkey. | [215] | ||
Kaikaia gaga Morris & Dietrich, 2020 | Treehopper | Lady Gaga | The lead author, a longtime fan of Lady Gaga, said "If there is going to be a Lady Gaga bug, it’s going to be a treehopper, because they’ve got these crazy horns, they have this wacky fashion sense about them; they’re unlike anything you’ve ever seen before." He also compared its horns to shoulder pads, and commented "It's just kind of their theme as a family of insects to have these very diverse and other-worldly forms that you wouldn't expect from an insect. Gaga often brings the unexpected and makes it popular." | [216][217] [218] | ||
Karaops pilkingtoni Crews & Harvey, 2011 | Spider | Karl Pilkington | [219] | |||
Kerevata clarksoni Butcher & Quicke, 2014 | Wasp | Jeremy Clarkson | One of three species named after the hosts of Top Gear | [220] | ||
Kerevata hammondi Butcher & Quicke, 2014 | Wasp | Richard Hammond | One of three species named after the hosts of Top Gear | [220] | ||
Kerevata jamesmayi Butcher & Quicke, 2014 | Wasp | James May | One of three species named after the hosts of Top Gear | [220] | ||
Kingnites diamondi † Eriksson et al., 2012 | Polychaete worm | King Diamond | A fossil annelid worm from the Silurian of Baltoscandia. "Named [...] after King Diamond for musical inspiration during the course of this study." | [221] | ||
Kirchnerala † Petrulevicius & Gutiérrez, 2016 | Dragonfly | Néstor Kirchner | A fossil Odonatoptera from the Carboniferous of La Rioja Province, Argentina, named "in honour of Argentinean President (2003-2007) Néstor Kirchner, who passed away on October 27th, 2010 and the Latin "ala" meaning wing. On July 16, 2003, he agreed to a public meeting requested by two designed delegates of CONICET External Postdoctoral Fellows in the Argentinean Embassy in Paris. In relation to our concerns, he explained us the promissory future plans of the government for the scientific system in our country. After our return to Argentina in 2004, his sayings were corroborated year by year and continued in the same way by the next (twice) President of the country, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner." The type species is named Kirchnerala treintamil, "Dedicated to the 30,000, in Spanish "treinta mil" (presentes, ahora y siempre!), detained [or] disappeared by the Argentinean Military-Civil-Ecclesiastic Dictatorship 1976-1983. Mil is also a linguistic morph in Kakán (Diaguita) language from La Rioja province whose meaning has unfortunately disappeared". | [45] | ||
Kootenichela deppi † Legg, 2013 | Early Arthropod | Johnny Depp | An early arthropod from the Cambrian period. It was named after Depp for his role in Edward Scissorhands, because of the shape of its claws. | [222] | ||
Lactifluus marielleae J.Duque & M.A.Neves (2020) | Fungus | Marielle Franco | A mushroom-forming species from Brazil named "in honour of the Brazilian politician, feminist, and human rights activist Marielle Franco killed on 14 March 2018." | [223] | ||
Lanice kellyslateri Lavesque, Daffe, Londoño-Mesa & Hutchings, 2021 | Polychaete worm | Kelly Slater | "This species is named after the "King" Kelly Slater, 11-time Surf World Champion, and also an environmental activist for the protection of the oceans." | [224][225] | ||
Lapidaster coreytaylori † Thuy, 2013 | Brittle star | Corey Taylor | A fossil species from the Cretaceous of Southern France, "named in honour of Corey Taylor, lead vocalist of the rockgroup Slipknot and Stone Sour, for lending a powerful voice during moments of despair in the course of the present study." The genus Lapidaster, created concurrently, is "composed of lapis, Latin for "rock", and aster, Greek for "star", in reference to three species of the genus being named after rockstars." | [226] | ||
Lapidaster hystricarboris † Thuy, 2013 | Brittle star | Porcupine Tree | A fossil species from the Jurassic of England; "Name derived from Hystrix, a genus of porcupine, and arbor, Latin for "tree", in honour of Steven Wilson, Richard Barbieri, Gavin Harrison and Colin Edwin of Porcupine Tree whose music was a fertile source of inspiration whenever the creative process of the present study threatened to come to a halt." | [226] | ||
Lapidaster mastodon † Thuy, 2013 | Brittle star | Mastodon (band) | A fossil species from the Jurassic of Southern Germany, "named in honour of Brent Hinds, Brann Dailor, Bill Kelliher and Troy Sanders of the rockgroup Mastodon, whose music was indispensable during lengthy nightly sessions at the scanning electron microscope." | [226] | ||
Laqueichnus baloffi † Kappel, 2003 | Crustacean trace fossil | Paul Baloff | An ichnospecies identified from the Cretaceous of Germany. | [227][228] [8] | ||
Lasioglossum obamai Genaro, 2016 | Bee | Barack Obama | "Species dedicated to the forty-fourth president of the United States of America, Barack Obama, for his contribution to the conservation of the environment (and native pollinators) and the improvement in relations with Cuba, among other progressive policies and reforms carried out by his administration." | [229] | ||
Lavajatus moroi Simone, 2018 | Snail | Sergio Moro | The generic name Lavajatus, created concurrently, "is a Latinization of the Portuguese words Lava Jato (car wash), an allusion to the Lava-Jato Operation, which designates a conjunct of investigations of [the] Federal Police of Brazil, mostly investigating corruption crimes. The translucency of the shell, revealing the occult inner structures, is an afflatus." "The specific epithet is in honor to the judge Sergio Fernando Moro, professor of criminal law in [the] Federal University of Paraná, who is leading Lava-Jato Operation referred above. This is a demure acknowledge[ment] of his effort in remodeling Brazil into a better country." | [230] | ||
Lemureops kilbeyi † McAdams & Adrain, 2009 | Trilobite | Steve Kilbey | One of four species concurrently named after the members of the 1981-1990 line-up of The Church. | [231] | ||
Lemureops koppesi † McAdams & Adrain, 2009 | Trilobite | Peter Koppes | One of four species concurrently named after the members of the 1981-1990 line-up of The Church. | [231] | ||
Lemureops ploogi † McAdams & Adrain, 2009 | Trilobite | Richard Ploog | One of four species concurrently named after the members of the 1981-1990 line-up of The Church. | [231] | ||
Lemureops willsonpiperi † McAdams & Adrain, 2009 | Trilobite | Marty Willson-Piper | One of four species concurrently named after the members of the 1981-1990 line-up of The Church. | [231] | ||
Lepidobatrachus dibumartinez † Turazzini & Gómez, 2023 | Frog | Emiliano Martínez | A fossil horned frog from the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene of Argentina, named to honour Argentine footballer Emiliano Martínez, who is also known as "Dibu Martínez", for playing a pivotal role as a goalkeeper in winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup with the Argentina national football team. | [232] | ||
Leporinus enyae Burns et al., 2017 | Fish | Enya | "Named in honor of the singer Enya, whose beautiful song "Orinoco Flow" celebrates the flow of the mighty Orinoco River, which the new species inhabits" | [233] | ||
Leptogenys grohli Hamer, Lee & Guénard, 2024 | Ant | Dave Grohl | "Named after the musician Dave Grohl, lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the rock band Foo Fighters, drummer of the rock bands Nirvana and Queens of the Stone Age among others, for his positive activism, and ever long musical accompaniment to both first and last author." | [234] | ||
Librelula maradoniana † Petrulevičius, 2020 | Damselfly | Diego Maradona | A fossil species from the Palaeocene of Jujuy Province, Argentina, named "in honour [of] Diego Armando Maradona (El Diego) the best world football player ever. In [the] 1986 FIFA World Cup, Maradona, the "People's football player", redefined football in less than five minutes, first with the "hand of God" goal and then with "the Goal of the Century", [narrated] exquisitely by Víctor Hugo Morales. In [the] words of Emir Kusturica "that match was maybe the first and the last time that there was justice in the world". He inspired the people and many popular artistic expressions via his Maradonian way." The author sent the paper for publication one month before Maradona's sudden death; it was published the day after the footballer's demise. | [235][236] | ||
Liladownsia Fontana, Mariño-Pérez, Woller & Song, 2014 | Grasshopper | Lila Downs | "We are pleased to name the new genus in honor of the Mexican singer-songwriter and Grammy Award-winner, Ana Lila Downs Sánchez, whose stage name is Lila Downs. This taxon is dedicated to her for a number of reasons, such as the fact that she was born in the vicinity of the type locality and because she incorporates several indigenous tongues from Mexico into her musical style, including Mixteco and Zapoteco (the latter of which is spoken in the type locality). Additionally, Lila Downs has not only promoted the vast cultural diversity of Mexico worldwide via her music, but also through the use of bright colors, a staple of Mexican culture, and considering that this new genus is brightly-colored, we would like to recognize her efforts through the dedication of this new genus." | [237] | ||
Lillithaster lamentatiofelium † Thuy, Numberger-Thuy & Jagt, 2018 | Brittle star | Katzenjammer | A fossil species from the Cretaceous of South Carolina, US. "Species name composed of Latin 'lamentatio' (= mourning) and 'felium' (= of cats), honouring the Norwegian folk rock band Katzenjammer, in recognition of their energy-loaded approach to music and their masterpiece "Demon Kitty Rag"." | [32] | ||
Liolaemus messii Ruiz et al., 2021 | Lizard | Lionel Messi | A species of iguanian lizard native to a locality in Rosario de Lerma Department, Argentina, and named "in honour of Lionel Andrés Messi, a world-renowned Argentinian footballer, but above all a world-class example of humility and chivalry." | [238] | ||
Liptena chrislowei Sáfián, 2021 | Butterfly | Chris Lowe | "All newly described species are dedicated to recognise the artistic work of one of the most influential British pop duos, Pet Shop Boys, who always played an important role in the author's life since 1986 and inspired him in various ways." "The species carries the name of Christopher Sean Lowe, keyboardist, programmer and also occasional songwriter and singer of Pet Shop Boys. His unique musical skills, often extravagant and sometimes eccentric appearance cover a humble and deep personality, which had often influenced the image of Pet Shop Boys." | [239] | ||
Liptena neiltennanti Sáfián, 2021 | Butterfly | Neil Tennant | "All newly described species are dedicated to recognise the artistic work of one of the most influential British pop duos, Pet Shop Boys, who always played an important role in the author's life since 1986 and inspired him in various ways." "The species carries the name of Neil Francis Tennant, songwriter and lead singer of Pet Shop Boys as a tribute to his talent and lifetime enthusiasm to music." Other species described in the same paper were named L. introspectionem, after the 1988 Pet Shop Boys album Introspective, and L. minimis, after their 2006 song "Minimal". | [239] | ||
Litarachna lopezae Pešić, Chatterjee, Alfaro & Schizas, 2014 | Mite | Jennifer Lopez | An aquatic mite from Puerto Rico. "The reason behind the unusual choice of name for the new species is simple: J-Lo's songs and videos kept the team in a continuous good mood when writing the manuscript and watching World Cup soccer," said lead author Vladimir Pešić. | [240][241] | ||
Liturgusa krattorum Svenson, 2014 | Mantis | Kratt brothers | Named for the "hosts and creators of Kratts' Creatures and Wild Kratts... which provide children with entertaining programming focused on animal biology presented with accurate information." | [242] | ||
Loancorhynchus catrillancai † Otero, 2019 | Fish | Camilo Catrillanca | A fossil swordfish from the Eocene of Chile, named "Honoring the memory of the Mapuche leader Camilo Catrillanca." Otero argued his choice of name pointing out that in Chile there is a lack of memory with the natural, and certainly with historical facts. "That is why it makes to me more sense than ever to name this species after Camilo Catrillanca. Just as our natural history has been ignored, I would not want the sad recent history of this case to be ignored. That is why I wanted to honor his memory by dedicating this species to him," he said. "It is in honor of him, and in part, to point out again how important it is to remember and know our own history," Otero added. | [243][244] | ||
Loureedia phoenixi Zamani & Marusik, 2020 | Spider | Joaquin Phoenix | "The new species is named after the American actor, producer and animal rights activist Joaquin Phoenix in recognition of his praised portrayal of the title character in the 2019 movie "Joker" and as a reference to the male abdominal pattern of the new species, which resembles the famous facial makeup of this character." | [245][246] | ||
Loxosomatoides sirindhornae Wood, 2005 | Entoproct | Sirindhorn | [8] | |||
Mackenziurus ceejayi † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 | Trilobite | C. J. Ramone | One of four species concurrently named in 1997 after members of The Ramones (see also List of organisms named after famous people (born 1900–1949)) | [247] | ||
Mackenziurus deedeei † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 | Trilobite | Dee Dee Ramone | One of four species concurrently named in 1997 after members of The Ramones. | [247] | ||
Mackenziurus joeyi † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 | Trilobite | Joey Ramone | One of four species concurrently named in 1997 after members of The Ramones. | [247] | ||
Macrobiotus rybaki Stec & Vecchi, 2021 | Tardigrade | Alexander Rybak | "The choice to dedicate the new species to Alexander Rybak is the fruit of our passion for the Eurovision Song Contest. We are both fans of this very popular, diverse and cheerful song contest, and we wanted to honour it with a reference to one of its most iconic winners." | [248][249] | ||
Macrobrachium sirindhorn Naiyanetr, 2001 | Crustacean | Sirindhorn | "The specific name is given in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, as a token of recognition of Her great interest in the study of the natural history of Thailand. Her Royal Highness graciously permitted the use of Her name for this interesting species." | [250] | ||
Macrocarpaea dies-viridis J.R. Grant | Flowering plant | Green Day | "from the Latin "dies," day, and "viridis," green, for the American punk-rock music group Green Day, whose music we listened to, especially while driving to localities throughout Ecuador during our 2006 expedition." | [251] | ||
Macrocentrus jonathanrosenbergi Sharkey & van Achterberg, 2021 | Wasp | Jonathan Rosenberg (technologist) | "named to honor Mr. Jonathan Rosenberg of Google for his generous perception of the potential relevance of ACG [ Área de Conservación Guanacaste, where this species was found] to biodiversity understanding of Google employees." | [252] | ||
Macrostylis metallicola Riehl & De Smet, 2020 | Crustacean | Metallica | "The name '‘metallicola' is dedicated to the U.S. thrash metal pioneers Metallica whose works accompanied and inspired the first author since teenage years. As a composite word from the Latin word for 'metal' and the New Latin suffix '-cola', meaning 'inhabiting' or 'living in', the name simultaneously refers to the species' habitat that is rich in polymetallic nodules (manganese nodules). It is meant to raise attention to the habitat of this new species which, sad but true, may be partially lost or damaged due to nodule mining in the near future potentially putting the new species under threat." The band commented on their Facebook page "First of all, stellar name Dr. Riehl. Second, what an honor! Not only did Dr. Riehn [sic] name his discovery after a band as he has been a fan since childhood, The Thing That Should Not Be has a few things in common with us. The worm-like creature dwells in complete darkness, has no eyes, and is colorless. Talk about Blackened! It also lives amongst metallic nodules containing cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, and rare-earth elements. So it basically lives in a rock stadium? Now that’s one metal crustacean! You just never know what you’ll find "lurking beneath the sea."" | [253][254] | ||
Maeota ibargueni Galvis, 2014 | Spider | Caterine Ibargüen | A species of jumping spider native to Colombia, named "in honour of Caterine Ibargüen Mena, world and Olympic triple jump champion, for her charisma and contribution to Colombian sport, and for sharing the talent of jumping with this particular and diverse group of spiders." | [255] | ||
Magnolia lopezobradorii A.Vázquez | Flowering plant | Andrés Manuel López Obrador | A rare species of magnolia known only from the Tuxtlas Mountains in Veracruz, Mexico; "The specific epithet honors Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a progressive politician and second time Mexican Presidential Candidate [at the time of naming; he would go on to become president], a scholar of the "deep" problems of Mexico, "El México profundo", with sound proposals for sustainable management for tropical rainforest, from where he and this tree species are native. A magnificent tree of the family Magnoliaceae is named after a magnificent philanthropic man." | [256] | ||
Magnolia sirindhorniae Nooteboom & Chalermglin | Flowering plant | Sirindhorn | [8] | |||
Maguimithrax Klompmaker et al., 2015 | Crustacean | Tobey Maguire | A genus of spider crab. Maguire starred in four Spider-Man films. | [257] | ||
Maldybulakia angusi † Edgecombe, 1998 | Myriapod | Angus Young | A fossil species from the Devonian of Australia. | [258] | ||
Maldybulakia malcolmi † Edgecombe, 1998 | Myriapod | Malcolm Young | A fossil species from the Devonian of Australia. | [258] | ||
Marengo sachintendulkar Malamel, Prajapati, Sudhikumar & Sebastian, 2019 | Spider | Sachin Tendulkar | A jumping spider native to India, "dedicated to the Indian cricketer Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar, also known as the 'God of Cricket' and 'Master Blaster', for his extraordinary and unbreakable records in the game of cricket." | [259] | ||
Marginellopsis rineri Ortea, 2020 | Sea snail | Teddy Riner | A small Neogastropod from the island of Guadeloupe, "dedicated to Teddy Riner (Pointe-á-Pitre, Guadeloupe, 1989), the judo legend, 10 times world super-heavyweight champion, with 154 consecutive victories in 10 years, a sportsman admired by the Guadeloupeans, as we could see in our talks with the park rangers and local collaborators of the Karubenthos expedition, looking for names for new species." | [260] | ||
Mauriciosaurus fernandezi † Frey et al., 2017 | Plesiosaur | Mauricio Fernández Garza | A plesiosaur from the Cretaceous of Vallecillo, Mexico; "Genus and species name in honor of Mauricio Fernández Garza, who not only made the specimen accessible for scientific research, but also secures all future work in the quarry area at Vallecillo and supports public education in Earth- and biological sciences predominantly in the state of Nuevo León." | [261] | ||
Maurotarion messieri † Adrain & Chatterton, 1995 | Trilobite | Mark Messier | One of thirteen Canadian species named, in a series of four papers, after members of the Edmonton Oilers team that won the 1990 Stanley Cup (See also species in genera Aulacopleura, Cyphaspis, Harpidella, Otarion and Songkania). | [181] | ||
Mecodema genesispotini Seldon & Buckley, 2019 | Beetle | Genesis Potini | "This species is named in honour of the late Genesis Potini, who was a New Zealand speed chess champion from Gisborne. He was also the cofounder of the Gisborne Eastern Knights Chess Club, helping underprivileged Māori children by teaching them how to play chess." The genus Mecodema is endemic to New Zealand, and this species is native to Waimata Valley in Gisborne District. | [262] | ||
Mecodema jacinda Seldon & Buckley, 2019
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