Scientists Keep Naming Animal Species After Celebrities — Here Are the Wildest Ones
A growing number of newly described animals don’t carry dense Latin names decipherable only by entomologists hunched over microscopes. They carry names you’d recognize from your Spotify playlist, your movie queue, or your late-night TV habits.
From Taylor Swift millipedes to Lady Gaga treehoppers, animal species named after celebrities has become one of taxonomy’s most entertaining traditions. And with species discovery accelerating to record levels, the list keeps getting longer.
Discovering Animal Species Faster Than Ever
Roughly 300 years ago, Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus set out to identify and name every living organism on Earth. He described more than 10,000 species of plants and animals prior to his death, per the University of Arizona.
That number felt staggering at the time.
According to a new University of Arizona-led study published in Science Advances, scientists are now discovering more than 16,000 new species each year — quicker than ever before. That pace means tens of thousands of organisms still need names.
Some scientists seize the opportunity to honor famous figures who’ve shaped culture, conservation, and, occasionally, just their lab playlists.
For example, David Attenborough — the English broadcaster, natural historian and author famous for his pioneering wildlife documentaries — has dozens of animal species named after him.
Celebrities With Multiple Species Named After Them
Talk show host Stephen Colbert holds an unusual distinction among celebrities. He has at least five separate species that carry his name.
The lineup includes a diving beetle (Agaporomorphus colberti), a parasitic wasp (Aleiodes colberti), a trapdoor spider (Aptostichus stephencolberti), a stonefly (Diamphipnoa colberti) and another beetle (Sonoma colberti).
That trapdoor spider came from a particularly prolific discovery effort.
Jason Bond, a researcher at the Auburn University Museum of Natural History and Department of Biological Sciences, described 33 new trapdoor spider species from the American Southwest in 2012.
One was named after Colbert, but he wasn’t the only one honored. Bond also named spiders after President Barack Obama, Angelina Jolie and Bono (whose spider was found in Joshua Tree National Park, a reference to U2’s “The Joshua Tree” album from 1987).
Leonardo DiCaprio has two beetles (Grouvellinus leonardodicaprioi and Metallactus dicaprioi) named after him, as well as two spiders (Misumessus dicaprioi and Spintharus leonardodicaprioi) not related to Bond’s work.
Steve Irwin stands apart in this crowd because he actually discovered one of the species bearing his name.
He and his father, Bob, were catching crocodiles on a river when they spotted an unusual-looking turtle. They took it to a turtle expert and it turned out to be a new species. That turtle was then named Elseya irwini in honor of Steve and Bob.
Irwin also has a snail (Crikey steveirwini) named after him. Dr. John Stanisic, who discovered the snail, described it as “a colourful snail, with swirling bands of creamy yellow, orange-brown and chocolate giving the shell an overall khaki appearance.”
He named it after Irwin because he was always wearing a khaki uniform. The snail’s genus name — Crikey — echoes Irwin’s famous exclamation.
Animal Species Named After Music Icons
Some of the most colorful naming stories come from the world of music. The reasoning behind each name often reveals as much about the scientist as it does about the species.
Leucothoe eltoni is a tiny, shrimp-like crustacean known as an amphipod, published in Zookeys.
“I named the species in honour of Sir Elton John because I have listened to his music in my lab during my entire scientific career,” Dr. James Thomas said, per Science Daily.
“So, when this unusual crustacean with a greatly enlarged appendage appeared under my microscope after a day of collecting, an image of the shoes Elton John wore as the Pinball Wizard came to mind.”
Aleiodes shakirae is a species of parasitic wasp, published in Zookeys.
The Shakira wasp is a parasite of caterpillars, feeding and developing inside them — and causing them to bend and twist their abdomens in a distinctive way, which reminded lead author Scott Shaw and colleague Eduardo Shimbori of belly dancing, per UW.
Beyoncé’s Horse Fly and Taylor Swift’s Millipede
Plinthina beyonceae is a species of horse fly, published in the Australian Journal of Entomology. The horse fly was initially discovered in 1981 but not described or named until 2011. It has a distinctive shiny bum, due to a dense patch of golden hairs on its abdomen.
Its golden backside reminded scientists of the song “Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child, hence the Beyoncé reference.
Nannaria swiftae is a North American millipede, published in Zookeys. The twisted-claw millipede was found in the Appalachian Mountains along with 16 other new species of millipedes. Derek Henen, who named the millipede, is a known Swiftie, hence the tribute.
“Her music helped me get through the highs and lows of graduate school, so naming a new millipede species after her is my way of saying thanks,” he said in a news release.
Lady Gaga’s Treehopper and Jennifer Lopez’s Mite
Kaikaia gaga is a species of treehopper, published in Zootaxa.
“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,” lead author Brendan Morris said in a news release. “They’re unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.”
Litarachna lopezae is a species of aquatic mite, published in Zookeys.
“The reason behind the unusual choice of name for the new species is that J.Lo’s songs and videos kept the team in a continuous good mood when writing the manuscript and watching World Cup Soccer 2014,” explained lead author Vladimir Pešić, per Entomology Today.
A Legendary Band Named After Damselfly
In 2013, researcher F. A. A. Lencioni published descriptions of four new damselfly species in Zootaxa and named them after every member of Queen:
- Heteragrion freddiemercuryi (Freddie Mercury)
- Heteragrion brianmayi (Brian May)
- Heteragrion rogertaylori (Roger Taylor)
- Heteragrion johndeaconi (John Deacon)
“I name this species after Freddie Mercury, artistic name of Farrokh Bulsara (1946–1991), superb and gifted musician and songwriter whose wonderful voice and talent still entertain millions of people around the world,” Lencioni wrote.
The other three species were named after the remaining members of Queen to pay tribute to the 40th anniversary of the band’s founding, which occurred in 1971.
Hollywood’s Contributions to the Taxonomy Record
The movie world is well represented in the naming record, and the stories behind each species often connect directly to specific roles.
Etmopterus benchleyi is a species of lanternshark, published in Zenodo. Also known as the Ninja Lanternshark due to its dark black appearance, its scientific name was chosen as a nod to Peter Benchley, the author of the 1974 novel “Jaws.” Its upper jaw teeth are small, straight, and pointed, whereas the lower jaw teeth are larger.
Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi is a species of nematode — a parasitic worm — published in the Journal of Parasitology.
This parasitic worm is only the second known species of nematodes to infect and kill tarantulas. It was named in honor of Jeff Daniels’ character in the film Arachnophobia, who saves a town from a deadly infestation of spiders.
Daniels himself responded with characteristic deadpan.
“When I first heard a new species of nematode had been named after me, I thought, ‘Why? Is there a resemblance?’” Daniels told UCR. “Honestly, I was honored by their homage to me and Arachnophobia. Made me smile. And of course, in Hollywood, you haven’t really made it until you’ve been recognized by those in the field of parasitology.”
Idris Elba’s Stink-Bug Wasp and Spider-Man’s Actual Spiders
Idris elba is a species of parasitic wasp, published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research.
Species in the Idris genus lay their eggs inside spider eggs, but this one infiltrated an invasive species of stink bug named Bagrada hilaris.
Elijah Talamas, who once joked with a colleague that it would be funny to see a species named after Idris Elba given the obvious connection, got that opportunity when he observed a new species of Idris emerge from a stink bug he was studying.
The genus already existed. The actor just happened to share its name.
Two spider species discovered in Iran carry the names of Spider-Man actors, and both were published in the same journal: Arthropoda Selecta.
Filistata maguirei, named after Tobey Maguire, was discovered in the Geno Biosphere Reserve in Iran. The spider is active at night, like Maguire’s Spider-Man character, and is primarily found living among rocks, logs and other micro-habitats. They are venomous but don’t pose any risk to humans.
Pritha garfieldi, named after Andrew Garfield, was found in the Alborz Mountains of northern Iran. Both are crevice weavers — they build their homes in small crevices.
Unlike the movie, neither of these two spiders are known to give humans superpowers.
Brad Pitt’s Wasp and Kate Winslet’s Beetle
Conobregma bradpitti is a parasitic wasp from Thailand that lays its eggs in moth or butterfly caterpillars before emerging from the cocoon, published in Zookeys.
A poster of Brad Pitt was hanging in the laboratory where Dr. Bunktika A. Butcher of Chulalongkorn University in Thailand spent hours studying the wasp. She decided to name the wasp in his honor, per the Miami Herald.
Agra katewinsletae is a Costa Rican species of ground beetle, published in Zootaxa. Entomologist Terry Erwin discovered 29 new species of ground beetle in Costa Rica and named one after Kate Winslet in honor of her iconic role as Rose in Titanic.
“Her 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,” Erwin wrote in the paper.
He also named another one of the beetles after Liv Tyler.
Harrison Ford Keeps Getting ‘Critters That Terrify Children’
Calponia harrisonfordi is a Californian spider first described in 1993 by Norman I. Platnick, who named the type species after Harrison Ford to thank him for narrating a documentary for the Natural History Museum in London.
Ford also has an ant (Pheidole harrisonfordi) and a Peruvian snake (Tachymenoides harrisonfordi) named after him. “These scientists keep naming critters after me, but it’s always the ones that terrify children,” Ford told Conservation International, per the BBC. “I don’t understand. I spend my free time cross-stitching. I sing lullabies to my basil plants, so they won’t fear the night.”
A spider, an ant and a snake — all for a man who famously uttered “I hate snakes” on screen.
A 500-Million-Year-Old Fossil Named After Johnny Depp
Not all celebrity-named species are alive today.
Kootenichela deppi, named after Johnny Depp, is a Cambrian arthropod known only from a fossil, published in the Journal of Paleontology.
This arthropod lived more than 500 million years ago. It was no more than five centimeters long and sported a pair of “great appendages”, each with three spiny finger-like projections.
It was named after Depp “for his portrayal of Edward Scissorhands in the 1990 film of the same name,” per the paper.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Praying Mantis
Ilomantis ginsburgae is a leaf-dwelling praying mantis, published in Insect Systematics & Evolution.
Researchers Sydney Brannoch and Gavin Svenson discovered a species of leaf-dwelling praying mantis and named it after Ruth Bader Ginsburg because of its neck plate that resembles the jabot (collar) worn by justices.
It was also the first praying mantis classified based on female genitalia and named in honor of Ginsburg for her relentless fight for gender equality.
Prior classification methods had overlooked female anatomy entirely. The species and its namesake shared a corrective impulse.
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.
