New Moth Species Named After Donald Trump
Posted on January 18, 2017
A new moth species has been named after President-elect Donald J. Trump. The moth species has yellowish-white scales on its head that resembles Trump's hair. The species was named by evolutionary biologist Dr. Vazrick Nazari.
The moth has been named Neopalpa donaldtrumpi. It can be found in California, USA, and Baja California, Mexico. Dr. Nazari discovered the specimens while reviewing material from the Bohart Museum of Entomology, University of California, Davis.
Dr. Vazrick Nazari says in a statement, "The discovery of this distinct micro-moth in the densely populated and otherwise zoologically well-studied southern California underscores the importance of conservation of the fragile habitats that still contain undescribed and threatened species, and highlights the paucity of interest in species-level taxonomy of smaller faunal elements in North America. By naming this species after the 45th President of the United States, I hope to bring some public attention to, and interest in, the importance of alpha-taxonomy in better understanding the neglected micro-fauna component of the North American biodiversity."
Dr. Nazavari notes that the habitat of N. donaldtrumpi is under serious threat. A research paper on the new species can be found here in the journal, ZooKeys.