# 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 the ICZN's International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, based on 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, 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)

* A
* B
* C
* D
* E
* F
* G
* H
* I
* J
* K
* L
* M
* N
* O
* P
* Q
* R
* S
* T
* U
* V
* W
* X
* Y
* Z
| Taxon | Type | Namesake | Notes | 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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. | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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. | |
| 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." | |
| Adelius adeleae Shimbori & Shaw, 2019 | Wasp | Adele | (Only the species name is in honor of Adele. Adelius is an old genus, established in 1833) | |
| 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." | |
| Agerina boygeorgei † Karim & Adrain, 2022 | Trilobite | Boy George | | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Agra liv Erwin, 2002 | Beetle | Liv Tyler | "The existence of this species of elegant beetle is dependent upon the rainforest not undergoing an Armageddon". | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Ajkanesia harmincipsziloni † Szabó & Brazidec, 2022 | Wasp | 30Y | A fossil species found in Cretaceous ajkaite amber from Hungary, whose name "name honours the alternative rock band 30Y. In Hungarian, the band's name is phonetically written as "harminc ipszilon". The band got its name after the Szombathely (western Hungary) bus service nr 30Y. Three members of the band, namely Zoltán Beck, László Beck and Zoltán Sárközy spent part of their childhood in the city of Ajka, from where the holotype specimen originates." | |
| 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."" | |
| Aleiodes butcheri Butcher et al., 2012 | Wasp | Jim Butcher | | |
| Aleiodes colberti Shimbori & Shaw, 2014 | Wasp | Stephen Colbert | | |
| Aleiodes elleni Shimbori & Shaw, 2014 | Wasp | Ellen DeGeneres | | |
| Aleiodes falloni Shimbori & Shaw, 2014 | Wasp | Jimmy Fallon | | |
| Aleiodes gaga Butcher et al., 2012 | Wasp | Lady Gaga | | |
| 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." | |
| Aleiodes stewarti Shimbori & Shaw, 2014 | Wasp | Jon Stewart | | |
| Almafuerte Grismado & Carrión, 2017 | Spider | Pedro Bonifacio Palacios and Almafuerte (band) | A genus of South American ground spiders; ""Almafuerte" is the pseudonymous [sic] of Pedro Bonifacio Palacios (San Justo 1854 - La Plata 1917), an influential Argentine poet and teacher; the name is also shared with a famous Argentine heavy-metal band leaded [sic] by Ricardo Iorio." | |
| 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." | |
| Amata gil Witt et al., 2007 | Moth | Gil Ofarim | | |
| 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." | |
| 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)." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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. | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Anguiculus dicaprioi Mirza et al., 2024 | Snake | Leonardo DiCaprio | "honouring Leonardo DiCaprio, an American actor, film producer, and environmentalist who has been actively involved in creating awareness about global climate change, increased biodiversity loss, and human health issues through pollution. In addition to this, he has made funds available for field conservation activities and research." | |
| Angusticopula rowlingiana Van de Vijver, Wilfert, D.M.John & Houk, 2019 | Diatom | J. K. Rowling | "The species is named after the famous British writer Mrs. J.K. Rowling to honor her for all her efforts to make children read books again, a first step in a possible future career as a scientist." | |
| 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." | |
| Antipathozoanthus remengesaui Kise et.al., 2017 | Coral | Thomas Remengesau Jr. | The holotype of this wide-ranging zoanthid species was collected in Palau, and the species "named after Tommy Esang Remengesau, Jr., the current president of the Republic of Palau, who has greatly contributed to marine research and conservation in Palau." | |
| Aphelinus elvestueni Japoshvili & Hansen, 2014 | Wasp | Ola Elvestuen | A parasitoid wasp from Norway. | |
| Aptostichus angelinajolieae Bond, 2008 | Spider | Angelina Jolie | Named in recognition of Jolie's work with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. | |
| 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." | |
| 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. | |
| Aptostichus pennjillettei Bond, 2012 | Spider | Penn Jillette | Named for Jillette's "advocacy of freethinking and scientific skepticism" | |
| 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." | |
| Arcticalymene cooki † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 | Trilobite | Paul Cook | One of five species concurrently named after the members of the Sex Pistols. | |
| Arcticalymene jonesi † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 | Trilobite | Steve Jones | One of five species concurrently named after the members of the Sex Pistols. | |
| Arcticalymene matlocki † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 | Trilobite | Glen Matlock | One of five species concurrently named after the members of the Sex Pistols. | |
| Arcticalymene rotteni † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 | Trilobite | Johnny Rotten | One of five species concurrently named after the members of the Sex Pistols. | |
| Arcticalymene viciousi † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 | Trilobite | Sid Vicious | One of five species concurrently named after the members of the Sex Pistols. | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Argiope legionis Motta & Levi, 2009 | Spider | Legião Urbana | "The specific name honors Legião Urbana (Urban Legion), a rock band from Brasília and one of the most important musical groups from Brazil at the end of the 20th century." The type locality for this species is in Brasília. | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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). | |
| 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). | |
| 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)." | |
| 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." | |
| 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. | |
| Balmaceda abba Edwards & Baert, 2018 | Spider | ABBA | A jumping spider from the Galápagos Islands. | |
| 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]." | |
| Bathyurina curtisi † Adrain, Karim & Westrop, 2014 | Trilobite | Ian Curtis | One of four species concurrently named after the members of Joy Division. | |
| Bathyurina hooki † Adrain, Karim & Westrop, 2014 | Trilobite | Peter Hook | One of four species concurrently named after the members of Joy Division. | |
| Bathyurina morrisi † Adrain, Karim & Westrop, 2014 | Trilobite | Stephen Morris | One of four species concurrently named after the members of Joy Division. | |
| Bathyurina sumneri † Adrain, Karim & Westrop, 2014 | Trilobite | Bernard Sumner | One of four species concurrently named after the members of Joy Division. | |
| 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. | |
| 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)." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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). | |
| Bloszykiella lindemanni Kontschán & Ermilov, 2020 | Mite | Till Lindemann | | |
| Bloszykiella rammsteini Kontschán & Ermilov, 2020 | Mite | Rammstein | | |
| 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. | |
| Bouchardium chillygonzalesi Kamiński, 2024 | Beetle | Chilly Gonzales | | |
| Bradyfallotaspis nicolascagei † Gapp, Lieberman, Pope & Dilliard, 2011 | Trilobite | Nicolas Cage | "Named in honor of trilobite enthusiast and Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Bristolia colberti † Gapp & Lieberman, 2014 | Trilobite | Stephen Colbert | | |
| 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. | |
| 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." | |
| 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" | |
| Caccothryptus abboti Matsumoto, 2021 | Beetle | Nick Abbot | | |
| Caccothryptus arakawae Matsumoto, 2021 | Beetle | Hiromu Arakawa | | |
| 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." | |
| Caerostris tinamaze Gregorič, 2015 | Spider | Tina Maze | "named in honour of Tine Maze, Slovenian skier who won Crystal globe with 2414 points" | |
| Caloplaca obamae Knudsen (2009) | Lichen | Barack Obama | "for his support of science and scientific education." | |
| Cantharis kviumi † Fanti & Damgaard, 2020 | Beetle | Michael Kvium | A fossil soldier beetle found in Baltic amber from the Eocene of Kaliningrad Oblast. | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Carmenelectra † Evenhuis, 2002 | Fly | Carmen Electra | | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Caulleryaspis chicosciencei Craveiro & Rosa Filho, 2023 | Polychaete worm | Chico Science | A mud owl worm collected from Suape Port in Pernambuco, Brazil, and "named after Francisco de Assis França (stage name Chico Science), a remarkable Brazilian singer and songwriter (13 March 1966–02 February 1997), and one of the main collaborators and influencers in the manguebeat musical movement, along with the band 'Nação Zumbi'." Chico Science was from Olinda, another coastal city of Pernambuco, very close to Suape Port. | |
| 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." | |
| Cercopemyces messii Martínez et al., 2024 | Fungus | Lionel Messi | A mushroom native to Argentina, named "as a tribute to the illustrious Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini, whose remarkable talent has brought immense joy and pride to the people of Argentina." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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) | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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". | |
| 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." | |
| Cladomyrma sirindhornae Jaitrong et al., 2013 | Ant | Sirindhorn | | |
| 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. | |
| Clavus andreolbrichi Fedosov & Puillandre, 2020 | Sea snail | André Olbrich | | |
| Clavus davidgilmouri Fedosov & Pulliandre, 2020 | Sea snail | David Gilmour | | |
| Clavus kirkhammetti Fedosov & Puillandre, 2020 | Sea snail | Kirk Hammett | | |
| Clusia dickinsoniana J. E. Nascim | Flowering plant | Bruce Dickinson | | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Colemanus † Fisher, 2015 | Wasp | Ronnie Coleman | A genus of fossil ichneutine wasps from the Paleogene, "Named for bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman, who was famous for his back; referring to the robust and sculptured nature of the mesosomal dorsum." | |
| 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." | |
| Cotesia trivaliae Žikić & Shaw, 2024 | Wasp | Trivalia | The lead author Vladimir Žikić had been the lead vocalist and songwriter of Trivalia in his youth. | |
| 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. | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Cretapalpus vittari † Downen & Selden, 2021 | Spider | Pabllo Vittar | A fossil species from the Crato Formation of Brazil. | |
| Crikey steveirwini Stanisic, 2009 | Snail | Steve Irwin | | |
| 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)). | [118][119] [120] |
| 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. | |
| 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). | |
| 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). | |
| 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). | |
| 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). | |
| 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." | |
| Cystomastacoides nicolepeelerae Quicke, 2013 | Wasp | Nicole D. Peeler | A favorite author of the lead biologist, who also named a species after fictional Beatrix Kiddo | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Dasyomyliobatis thomyorkei † Marramà et al., 2023 | Ray | Thom Yorke | A fossil species from the Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy. | |
| Deltapliomera eppersoni † McAdams, Adrain & Karim, 2018 | Trilobite | John Epperson | | |
| Deltapliomera inglei † McAdams, Adrain & Karim, 2018 | Trilobite | Lady Bunny | Named after Lady Bunny's birth name, Jon Ingle. | |
| Deltapliomera heimbergi † McAdams, Adrain & Karim, 2018 | Trilobite | Miss Understood | Named after Miss Understood's birth name, Alex Heimberg. | |
| 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." | |
| Depressizona exorum Geiger, 2003 | Sea snail | The Ex | | |
| Derogenes abba Bouguerche et al., 2024 | Fluke | ABBA | A species of trematode parasitic in fish from Scandinavian waters whose name honours "the Swedish pop supergroup renowned for hits like "Dancing Queen", "Chiquitita" and "Money, Money, Money" which served as a source of entertainment for the first author during the creation of the illustrations. The group’s name is an acronym of the first letters of their first names arranged as a palindrome." | |
| Desmopachria barackobamai Makhan, 2015 | Beetle | Barack Obama | A diving beetle from French Guiana | |
| 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." | |
| Dicranogmus wynni † Adrain, 2003 | Trilobite | Steve Wynn | | |
| 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." | |
| Dietotenhosen † Santelli & del Río, 2019 | Bivalve | Die Toten Hosen | A fossil genus of scallop from the Miocene and Pliocene of South America. | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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". | |
| 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." | |
| Dokimocephalus oliveri † Westrop, Waskiewicz Poole & Adrain, 2010 | Trilobite | John Oliver | | |
| Dokimocephalus stewarti † Westrop, Waskiewicz Poole & Adrain, 2010 | Trilobite | Jon Stewart | | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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. | |
| Eadya annleckieae Ridenbaugh, 2018 | Wasp | Ann Leckie | | |
| Echiniscus madonnae Michalczyk & Kaczmarek, 2006 | Tardigrade | Madonna | | |
| 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. | |
| 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." | |
| Elseya irwini Cann, 1997 | Turtle | Steve Irwin | | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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" | |
| 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" | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Eualebra moralesi Dietrich, 2013 | Leafhopper | Evo Morales | This species is native to Bolivia. | |
| 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. | |
| Eucosmogastra sirindhornae Pinkaew & Leadprathom, 2016 | Moth | Sirindhorn | A leafroller moth native to Thailand. | |
| 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. | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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). | |
| 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" | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Figuladra robertirwini L. Stanisic, 2024 | Snail | Robert Irwin | An Australian land snail "Named for Robert Irwin, conservationist and wildlife photographer, Australia Zoo." | |
| Filistata maguirei Marusik & Zamani, 2015 | Spider | Tobey Maguire | Maguire starred in four Spider-Man films. | |
| 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. | |
| 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." | |
| Forteyaspis adamanti † Karim & Adrain, 2022 | Trilobite | Adam Ant | | |
| Forteyaspis idoli † Karim & Adrain, 2022 | Trilobite | Billy Idol | | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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" | |
| Gagadon † Stucky & Covert, 2014 | Even-toed ungulate | Lady Gaga | The type species is named Gagadon minimonstrum. | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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)). "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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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)). | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| Gladiopycnodus byrnei † Marramà, Villier, Dalla Vecchia & Carnevale, 2016 | Fish | David Byrne | A fossil Pycnodont from the Cretaceous of Lebanon. | |
| 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." | |
| Goloboffia megadeth Ferretti, Ríos-Tamayo & Goloboff, 2019 | Spider | Megadeth | | |
| 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." | |
| 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" | |
| 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)." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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" | |
| Hantzschia tokarczukiana M.Rybak, Kochman-Kędziora | Diatom | Olga Tokarczuk | A species from Seram Island, Indonesia, described by scientists from the University of Rzeszów and "named after Polish writer, laureate of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature Olga Tokarczuk to honour her work." | |
| 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). | |
| 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). | |
| 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). | |
| Heckethornia ballionae † McAdams & Adrain, 2009 | Trilobite | Siouxsie Sioux | Named after Sioux's birth name, Susan Ballion. | |
| Heckethornia hyndeae † McAdams & Adrain, 2009 | Trilobite | Chrissie Hynde | | |
| Heckethornia morrisseyi † McAdams & Adrain, 2009 | Trilobite | Steven Morrissey | | |
| Heckethornia numani † McAdams & Adrain, 2009 | Trilobite | Gary Numan | | |
| Heckethornia smithi † McAdams & Adrain, 2009 | Trilobite | Robert Smith | | |
| Hellinsia diana Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, 2021 | Moth | Diana, Princess of Wales | "The species is named in memory of Diana, the Princess of Wales, a humanist, well-known benefactor, generous and sympathetic woman, the Queen of human hearts (1961−1997)." | |
| Hemiandrus jacinda Trewick, 2021 | Wētā | Jacinda Ardern | | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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)). | |
| 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" | |
| Heteropoda helge Jäger, 2008 | Spider | Helge Schneider | "in honour of Helge Schneider, a German comedian, for revolutionising the comedy scene" | |
| 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" | |
| 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" | |
| 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). | |
| Hortipes wimmertensi Bosselaers & Jocqué, 2000 | Spider | Wim Mertens | "in honor of the Flemish composer Wim Mertens, protagonist of the European romantic minimalist school." | |
| 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. | [207][208] [209] |
| 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." | |
| 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. | |
| 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." | |
| 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. | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Hystricurus zanderi † Adrain, Westrop, Karim & Landing 2014 | Trilobite | Robin Zander | | |
| Ibexaspis coadyi † McAdams, Adrain & Karim, 2018 | Trilobite | Sharon Needles | Named after Needles's birth name, Aaron Coady. | |
| Ibexaspis leuppi † McAdams, Adrain & Karim, 2018 | Trilobite | Miss Coco Peru | Named after Peru's birth name, Clinton Leupp. | |
| Ibexaspis rupauli † McAdams, Adrain & Karim, 2018 | Trilobite | RuPaul | | |
| 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." | |
| 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')." | |
| 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" | |
| 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. | [219][220] [221] |
| Iemanjavola monlafertei † Santelli, Del Río, De Araújo Távora & Feijó Ramos, 2024 | Bivalve | Mon Laferte | A fossil scallop from the Miocene of Brazil. | |
| 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." | |
| 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]" | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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. " | |
| Kahlerosphaera pamuki † Kozur, Moix & Ozsvárt, 2007 | Protist | Orhan Pamuk | A fossil radiolarian from the Triassic of Turkey. | |
| 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." | [232][233] [234] |
| Karaops pilkingtoni Crews & Harvey, 2011 | Spider | Karl Pilkington | | |
| Kerevata clarksoni Butcher & Quicke, 2014 | Wasp | Jeremy Clarkson | One of three species named after the hosts of Top Gear | |
| Kerevata hammondi Butcher & Quicke, 2014 | Wasp | Richard Hammond | One of three species named after the hosts of Top Gear | |
| Kerevata jamesmayi Butcher & Quicke, 2014 | Wasp | James May | One of three species named after the hosts of Top Gear | |
| 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." | |
| 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". | |
| 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. | |
| Ktarius patrickbrueli Hamdi et al., 2024 | Flatworm | Patrick Bruel | A marine parasite of the pink dentex, collected off the coast of Tunisia, and "named after Patrick Bruel, the French singer-songwriter renowned for his nostalgic song "Au Café des Délices" which evokes Mediterranean charm of Tunisia and a sense of nostalgia." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Laqueichnus baloffi † Kappel, 2003 | Crustacean trace fossil | Paul Baloff | An ichnospecies identified from the Cretaceous of Germany. | [244][245] [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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| 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" | |
| 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." | |
| 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. | |
| 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." | |
| 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"." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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". | |
| 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. | |
| 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." | |
| 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. | |
| 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." | |
| Loxosomatoides sirindhornae Wood, 2005 | Entoproct | Sirindhorn | | |
| Lycopale mendozai Montoya, 2024 | Fly | Mario Mendoza Zambrano | A hoverfly native to Colombia and named "in honor of the Colombian writer, Mario Mendoza Zambrano, one of the greatest exponents of the new Latin-American narrative. [...] The dark colors and yellow tints of the new species evoke the magnificent black mood and colored sarcasm that is highlighted in the stories of his dark, gloomy, mysterious, and enigmatic characters. This beautiful flower fly species that inhabits the Colombian pristine forest and Páramo ecosystems was named after him in gratitude and recognition of his legacy for future generations." | |
| Lycopale radioheadi Montoya, 2024 | Fly | Radiohead | "in honor of the English rock band Radiohead (formed in 1985), for their extraordinary music, considered one of the most influential bands in contemporary alternative rock. Radiohead is an environmental activist band that raises awareness of climate change and socio-political issues. Their melodies were a source of inspiration and an excellent company while conducting this study." | |
| 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)) | |
| Mackenziurus deedeei † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 | Trilobite | Dee Dee Ramone | One of four species concurrently named in 1997 after members of The Ramones. | |
| Mackenziurus joeyi † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 | Trilobite | Joey Ramone | One of four species concurrently named in 1997 after members of The Ramones. | |
| 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." | |
| Macrobrachium irwini Kunjulakshmi, Santos & Prakash, 2022 | Crustacean | Steve Irwin and his family | "honoured in the name of Stephen Robert Irwin (also Steve Irwin), nicknamed 'The Crocodile Hunter'. The 'irwini' has also been dedicated to his entire family members Terri Irwin (Wife), Robert Irwin (Son), Bindi Irwin (Daughter), Candler Powell [sic] (Son in law) and Gracy Warrior [sic] (Grand Daughter) for being an inspiration for nature enthusiasts through multitasking role as zookeeper, conservationist, television personality and wildlife photographer. Overall, we would like to dedicate the new species to Irwin's family efforts in continuing Steve Irwin's mission of "Conservation Through Exciting Education" in Australia Zoo, Queensland." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Macrostylis metallicola Riehl & De Smet, 2020 | Crustacean | Metallica | "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."" | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| Magnolia sirindhorniae Nooteboom & Chalermglin | Flowering plant | Sirindhorn | | |
| Maguimithrax Klompmaker et al., 2015 | Crustacean | Tobey Maguire | A genus of spider crab. Maguire starred in four Spider-Man films. | |
| Maldybulakia angusi † Edgecombe, 1998 | Myriapod | Angus Young | A fossil species from the Devonian of Australia. | |
| Maldybulakia malcolmi † Edgecombe, 1998 | Myriapod | Malcolm Young | A fossil species from the Devonian of Australia. | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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." | |
| 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). | |
| 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. | |
| Mecodema jacinda Seldon & Buckley, 2019 | Beetle | Jacinda Ardern | The genus Mecodema is endemic to New Zealand, and this species is native to Maungatautari, close to Ardern's hometown of Hamilton. | |
| Megalestes gyalsey Gyeltshen, Kalkman & Orr, 2017 | Damselfly | Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck | A species native to Bhutan, "named in honour of His Royal Highness Crown Prince of Bhutan, The Gyalsey, Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, on the occasion of his first birthday." | |
| Megophthalmidia mckibbeni Kerr, 2014 | Fly | Bill McKibben | A fungus gnat native to California, named "in honor of William Earnest "Bill" McKibben, noted author, environmental activist, and founder of 350.org. The magnificent diversity of life on our planet depends on a stable climate, which is now under grave threat. There are solutions, but they require the wisdom, persistence, and activism that Bill McKibben exemplifies." McKibben said "I felt truly honored. I love this planet we got born onto, from the big down to the very small. To be officially connected with its great diversity – well, that means a lot.[...] I was born in California, and my father was a member of the Sierra Club back when it was mostly a hiking group, spending his weekends in the mountains and forests, so I feel some extra kinship." | |
| Melanochlamys droupadi Tudu & Sajan, 2024 | Sea slug | Droupadi Murmu | A headshield slug from the Bay of Bengal. "Since both the president and I come from the Rairangpur area of Mayurbhanj, I decided to name the species after her to honour her ascension to the high office,” Tudu said. | |
| Melidia pif Massa, 2022 | Katydid | Pif (television host) | "This species is friendly dedicated to Pif, nickname of Pierfrancesco Diliberto, director, radio-television host, screenwriter and actor, highly appreciated for his proximity to social and environmental problems" | |
| Melusinaster alissawhitegluzae † Thuy & Stöhr, 2018 | Brittle star | Alissa White-Gluz | A fossil species of basket star from the Jurassic of Germany, named "to honour Alissa White-Gluz, singer of death metal band Arch Enemy, for being an inspiring person, and to pay tribute to the intensity, authenticity and passion that she conveys in her powerful vocals." "It’s a real honour", declared the singer. "The fact that such an important discovery was made while the palaeontologist was listening to our music is something quite special. Combining art and science in this way is impressive." She received a replica of the fossil from one of the authors while on stage at a concert in Rockhal, Luxembourg. | |
| Melusinaster arcusinimicus † Thuy & Stöhr, 2018 | Brittle star | Arch Enemy | A fossil species of basket star from the Jurassic of Luxembourg; its name is "the Latin translation of Arch Enemy, Swedish death metal band, for producing some of the heaviest melodic death metal songs ever, and in particular for having written masterpieces such as "We will rise" and "Reason to believe"". | |
| Meotipa luoqiae Lin & Li, 2021 | Spider | Luo Qi (singer) | A comb-footed spider native to China, "honoring the Chinese rock singer Mrs. Qi Luo, which encouraged the author by her courage, freedom and spirit of exploration" | |
| Meranoplus mosalahi Sharaf & Aldawood, 2019 | Ant | Mohamed Salah | | |
| Mesobiotus maklowiczi Stec, 20228 | Tardigrade | Robert Makłowicz | "The species is named after Robert Makłowicz, who is a journalist, historian, and culinary expert that beautifully promotes European cuisine and slow food. He lives in Kraków and runs his own YouTube channel that I enjoy watching. He is also a hat lover, and the egg processes of the new species resemble a funny peaked hat that Robert would be surely eager to try on." | |
| Mesobuthus brutus Fet et al., 2018 | Scorpion | Brutus (Czech band) | | |
| Mesoparapylocheles michaeljacksoni † Fraaije et al., 2012 | Crustacean | Michael Jackson | A fossil hermit crab from the Cretaceous of northern Spain, "Named in honour of the "King of Pop", Michael Jackson, who passed away at the age of fifty [on] the same day when the holotype was found (June 25, 2009)" | |
| Mesoparapylocheles janetjacksonae † Fraaije, van Bakel, Jagt & Skupien, 2020 | Crustacean | Janet Jackson | A fossil hermit crab from the Jurassic of the Czech Republic, "Named after Janet (Damita Jo) Jackson, well-known American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and sister of the late Michael Jackson after whom the first member of this genus was named." | |
| Metabowmania braggi † Adrain & Westrop, 2007 | Trilobite | Billy Bragg | | |
| Metallactus dicaprioi Sassi, 2019 | Beetle | Leonardo DiCaprio | "The species is named after Leonardo DiCaprio, a popular American actor, also known for his constant commitment to the preservation and conservation of biodiversity." | |
| Metallichneumon neurospastarchus Wahl & Sime, 2002 | Wasp | Metallica | A parasitic wasp. The genus name honors the band, while neurospastarchus ("ruler of puppets" in Greek) alludes to "the weak and mindless nature" of hosts, and the album Master of Puppets. | |
| Millardaspis knoxi † McAdams, Adrain & Karim, 2018 | Trilobite | The Lady Chablis | Named after The Lady Chablis's birth name, Benjamin Knox. | |
| Millettia sirindhorniana Mattapha, Thanant., Kaewmuan & Suddee | Legume | Sirindhorn | A climbing liana from Thailand; "The specific epithet is chosen to honour Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand for her dedication to science and encouragement of conservation in Thailand." | |
| Mimadiestra sirindhornae Dawwrueng, Storozhenko & Artchawakom, 2016 | Cricket | Sirindhorn | This species is native to Thailand. | |
| Mirpurina edytavaresi Ortea & Moro, 2023 | Sea snail | Edy Tavares | This species from Cape Verde is "dedicated to Walter (Edy) Tavares (Maio, 22.3.1992), outstanding Cape Verdean basketball player, who has contributed in a decisive and incontestable manner to the classification of his country's team for the world championship of that sport. The white mantle that covers the animal's shell when it moves, a true meringue, is a tribute to Real Madrid, the Spanish team in which Tavares plays" (Note: "meringue" is a common nickname for Real Madrid players and supporters, referencing their white uniform). | |
| Misumessus dicaprioi Edwards, 2017 | Spider | Leonardo DiCaprio | "This species is named in honor of Leonardo DiCaprio, for his efforts to raise awareness about global warming." | |
| Muldaster haakei † Thuy, Eriksson & Numberger-Thuy, 2022 | Brittle star | Tomas Haake | A fossil species from the Silurian of Gotland, Sweden, which "honours Tomas Haake, Swedish drummer of metal band Meshuggah, representing a derived form of heavy metal music." | |
| Myzomela irianawidodoae Prawiradilaga et al., 2017 | Bird | Iriana Joko Widodo | A species of Indonesian honeyeater endemic to Rote Island, named after the first lady of Indonesia at the time "to recognise her keen interest in Indonesia’s birdlife and her valuable stewardship and advocacy for Indonesia’s natural environments." | |
| Nama khalidae Meregalli & Borovec, 2023 | Weevil | Khalida Popal | "Khalida Popal (born 1987) is an Afghan football player and director. She is the Program and Event Director of the Afghanistan Women's National Football Team. After the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in August–September 2021, she helped coordinate the evacuation of young female Afghan football players and their families, 135 persons in total, who eventually landed in the UK on November 18th 2021." | |
| Nama yusrae Meregalli & Borovec, 2023 | Weevil | Yusra Mardini | "Yusra Mardini (born 1998) is a former Syrian competition swimmer and refugee of the Syrian civil war. She also competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, held in 2021, with the Refugee Olympic Team (EOR). In August 2015, while escaping by boat from the war, the motor stopped working and the dinghy began to take on water. Yusra and her sister Sarah jumped into the water and pushed and pulled the boat for over 3 h at night, saving all the people from drowning. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023, alongside her sister, Sarah." | |
| Nannaria swiftae Hennen, Means & Marek, 2022 | Millipede | Taylor Swift | Named after the American singer-songwriter "in recognition of her talent as a songwriter and performer and in appreciation of the enjoyment her music has brought [Hennen]". | |
| Nannaria mcelroyorum Hennen, Means & Marek, 2021 | Millipede | Clint McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy and Griffin McElroy | "This species is named for Clint, Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy from Huntington, West Virginia, who provided endless hours of emotional support [...] during field collections through their podcasts, The Adventure Zone and My Brother, My Brother, and Me." | |
| Neilpeartia † Carnevale et al., 2020 | Fish | Neil Peart | A genus of fossil frogfish from the Eocene of Italy, "named after the outstanding Canadian musician and writer Neil Ellwood Peart who passed away on January 7, 2020." | |
| Nelloptodes gretae Darby, 2019 | Beetle | Greta Thunberg | Darby said he chose the name because he was "immensely impressed" by the Swedish teenager's environmental campaigning. By naming the beetle after Ms Thunberg, he said, he "wanted to acknowledge her outstanding contribution in raising awareness of environmental issues". | |
| Nemoura hugekootinlokorum Wang, 2021 | Stonefly | Hu Ge and Louis Koo | A species of spring stonefly from southwestern China, "named in honor of Mr. Ge Hu and Mr. Tin-Lok Koo, two renowned actors, as an appreciation for their contribution to elementary education and environmental preservation in the mountainous areas of western China." | |
| Neoponera gojira Troya & Lattke, 2022 | Ant | Gojira (band) | A termite-predator ponerine ant from Brazil, whose name "honors the French metal band Gojira, in recognition of their altruistic activism for the conservation of nature, as well as for supporting the rights of ancestral indigenous peoples living across Amazonia. Through their lyrics the band promotes an increasing awareness of our paramount, nonetheless usually neglected, biological diversity." | |
| Nervellius philippus Braet, 2014 | Wasp | Philippe of Belgium | "Named in honour of the seventh king of Belgium: Philippe Léopold Louis Marie de Belgique for his enthronement." | |
| Nesticus jemisinae Hedin & Milne, 2023 | Spider | N. K. Jemisin | A scaffold web spider known only from a cave in Tennessee, named "in honor of N. K. Jemisin whose 'Broken Earth' book series features a subterranean colony, including scientists who study caves." | |
| Nystalus obamai Whitney et al., 2013 | Bird | Barack Obama | The Western striolated puffbird from South America, which was split from the Eastern striolated puffbird after scientists noticed the difference in their song. "Barack Hussein Obama II has proven to be a public servant of the highest caliber. He was elected and re-elected the 44th President of the United States based primarily on his outstanding professional record as a fair-minded, resolute, and visionary humanitarian. With the name of this puffbird, we are pleased to recognize Obama's remarkably positive and pervasive influence on the world stage and, in particular, we support his staunch initiative to bring development of solar energy to the forefront at a time when this obviously ideal global energy solution is, incredibly, still an uphill battle. The mainstream use of solar power around the world will benefit all, certainly including the flora, fauna, and people of Amazonia, mainly by allowing the Earth’s natural atmosphere to persist." | |
| Obamadon † Longrich et al., 2013 | Lizard | Barack Obama | An extinct genus of lizards from the Cretaceous. | |
| Obamus † Dzaugis et al., 2018 | Ediacaran biota | Barack Obama | A fossil, torus-shaped marine organism found in Ediacara Hills and Ediacara Conservation Park in South Australia, and named "In honour of President Barack Obama for his passion for science and the likeness of fossil morphology to his ears." | |
| Obtusopyrgus farri Verhaegen & Haase, 2021 | Freshwater snail | Gareth Farr | A species from New Zealand "named after Gareth Farr, acclaimed New Zealand percussionist and composer integrating non-European music styles including Maori music into Western classical music resulting in the most fascinating and colorful synthesis of different musical expressions. His alter ego, the drag queen Lilith LaCroix, is also colorful." | |
| Ocellularia jacinda-arderniae A.J.Marshall, Blanchon, Lücking & de Lange (2019) | Lichen | Jacinda Ardern | A species native to New Zealand, "Named in honour of Jacinda Ardern (1980–), the 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand, and the third and youngest woman to hold that position. In bestowing this name, we also wish to acknowledge that Ocellularia jacinda-arderniae was discovered in 2018, the 125th anniversary of women's suffrage in New Zealand, making it all the more fitting that we name a lichen after a prominent female New Zealand politician." | |
| Oenonella wasisnamei † Adrain & Fortey, 2022 | Trilobite | Buddy Wasisname | A trilobite from the Ordovician of Newfoundland, Canada. | |
| Oenonella otherfellersorum † Adrain & Fortey, 2022 | Trilobite | The Other Fellers | A trilobite from the Ordovician of Newfoundland, Canada. | |
| Ogyges aluxi Schuster, Cano & Boucher, 2005 | Beetle | Alux Nahual | ""Alux" is a Mayan term meaning "spirit". The specific name honors the Guatemalan rock band Alux Nahual. While on tour in Honduras with the band, Schuster [the lead author, who was also a band member] found various passalids, some new to science." | |
| Ogyges menchuae Cano, 2014 | Beetle | Rigoberta Menchú | "Named in honor of the Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Rigoberta Menchú, who was born in Laj Chimel." All the specimens used to describe this species were collected from forests near Laj Chimel, Guatemala. | |
| Ogyges nahuali Schuster, Cano & Boucher, 2005 | Beetle | Alux Nahual | ""Nahual" is a Mayan term for a spirit that each person has within himself [sic] (the alter ego), usually in the form of an animal, a "duende" in Spanish. This name was chosen to honor the Guatemalan rock band Alux Nahual. During concert tours, Schuster [the lead author, who was also a band member] was able to collect passalids in Honduras and other Central American countries and to examine collections of passalids." | |
| Ogyges toriyamai Cano, 2014 | Beetle | Akira Toriyama | "Named after Akira Toriyama, the Japanese artist creator of the manga and anime series Dragon Ball." Another species was concurrently named Ogyges mutenroshii, after the character Master Roshi from this series. | |
| Oligoaeschna sirindhornae Ngiam & Orr, 2017 | Dragonfly | Sirindhorn | "We humbly dedicate this species to Her Royal Highness, The Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, in recognition of her continuing support of nature conservation and as a mark of personal admiration by the authors." | |
| Oligopseudamia iancurtisi † Marramà, Giusberti & Carnevale, 2022 | Fish | Ian Curtis | A fossil cardinalfish from the Oligocene of Italy, "named after the late British musician and composer Ian Curtis in honour of his music, which was an excellent companion during long hours at the microscope while analysing the fossil specimens." | |
| Olios jaenicke Jäger, 2012 | Spider | Hannes Jaenicke | "This species is dedicated to the German actor and environmental campaigner Hannes Jaenicke for his activities about and documentaries on threatened animal species and for raising general awareness in the public on such topics. Also for his dedication to the Senckenberg Research Society" | |
| Olpium caputi Krajčovičová & Christophoryová, 2024 | Pseudoscorpion | Zuzana Čaputová | A species from Tahiti which was described by two Slovak female zoologists, and named "honouring Zuzana Čaputová, the Slovak President. As a female leader, she expresses clear attitudes and supports women as well as scientists." | |
| Opacuincola gretathunbergae Verhaegen & Haase, 2021 | Freshwater snail | Greta Thunberg | "The dedicatee of this new species is the Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg. Starting with a single-person school strike and demonstration to save our climate she has sparked the global movement "Fridays for Future" supported primarily by young people and managed to finally get momentum in global politics toward action against climate change after warnings of scientists have been largely ignored for more than 30 years. We wish her and the movement the endurance necessary to keep the pressure up!" | |
| Opaluma rupaul Lessard & Woodley, 2020 | Fly | RuPaul | A brightly coloured soldier fly from Australia, named "in honour of the drag superstar RuPaul Charles who is known to wear extravagant outfits that resemble this species." The lead author told the press "I'd been watching a lot of RuPaul's Drag Race when I was examining the specimen under the microscope, so it was on my mind!" And I really wanted to give this group of flies a memorable name because it needs the attention – the first specimen of this RuPaul fly was collected over a hundred years ago and sat neglected in a museum collection until someone with the knowledge of that group came along to name and document them." He also said that naming the fly after RuPaul came as an "obvious decision" because "It has a costume of shiny metallic rainbow colours, and it has legs for days." | [327][328] [329] |
| Ophelosia mcglashani Berry, 1995 | Wasp | Don McGlashan | | |
| Ophiacantha oceani † Numberger-Thuy & Thuy, 2020 | Brittle star | The Ocean (band) | A fossil species from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of Sicily, Italy. "Species named in honour of progressive metal band 'The Ocean'. Musicians who so skillfully combine arts and science, composing albums like Precambrian (with songs named after the periods of the Precambrian), Pelagial (with songs named after the bathymetric subdivisions of the water column) and Phanerozoic as well as the song "Turritopsis dohrnii" referring to the immortal jellyfish from the Mediterranean, are more than deserving of being immortalized in the fossil record." | |
| Ophiocoma avatar † Thuy & Numberger-Thuy, 2023 | Brittle star | Avatar (band) | A fossil species from the Cretaceous of Sweden, "named in honour of Swedish metal band Avatar, to honour their outstanding musical creativity that has been inspiring our research activities during the last years." | |
| Ophioduplantiera † Thuy, Numberger-Thuy & Pineda-Enríquez, 2021 | Brittle star | Joe Duplantier and Mario Duplantier | A fossil genus from the Jurassic of Austria, "named after Joseph (Joe) and Mario Duplantier of French metal band Gojira, to honour their inspiring artistic achievements and their authentic, compassionate personalities." | |
| Ophiogojira † Thuy, Numberger-Thuy & Pineda-Enríquez, 2021 | Brittle star | Gojira (band) | A fossil genus from the Jurassic of France and Luxembourg, "named in honour of French metal band Gojira, for producing songs of an unfathomable intensity, beautifully dark and heavy, and exploring the abyss of life and death, of human strength and error, and of thriving and yet threatened oceans." | |
| Ophiogojira andreui † Thuy, Numberger-Thuy & Pineda-Enríquez, 2021 | Brittle star | Christian Andreu | A fossil species from the Jurassic of Luxembourg, named after the guitar player of French metal band Gojira. | |
| Ophiogojira labadiei † Thuy, Numberger-Thuy & Pineda-Enríquez, 2021 | Brittle star | Jean-Michel Labadie | A fossil species from the Jurassic of France, named after the bass player of French metal band Gojira. | |
| Ophiojagtus acklesi † Thuy, 2013 | Brittle star | Jensen Ackles | A fossil species from the Cretaceous of Texas, US, "named in honour of Texas-born actor Jensen Ackles; my wife urged me to do so." | |
| Ophioleviathan watsoni † Thuy, 2013 | Brittle star | Paul Watson | A fossil species from the Jurassic of Austria, "named in honour of Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, in admiring recognition of his relentless commitment to the protection of marine wildlife." | |
| Ophiolofsson joelmciveri † Thuy, Eriksson, Kutscher & Numberger-Thuy, 2024 | Brittle star | Joel McIver | A fossil species from the Silurian of Gotland, Sweden "named after prolific British author and music journalist, Joel McIver, for his unique ability to convey the cultural importance and impact of music." | |
| Ophiolofsson obituary † Thuy, Eriksson, Kutscher & Numberger-Thuy, 2024 | Brittle star | Obituary (band) | A fossil species from the Silurian of Gotland, Sweden "named after American death metal pioneers, Obituary, who were fundamental in developing the death metal genre, and appropriately, O. obituary gen. et sp. nov. represents a basal species in the Ophiolofsson lineage." | |
| Ophiolofsson immolation † Thuy, Eriksson, Kutscher & Numberger-Thuy, 2024 | Brittle star | Immolation (band) | A fossil species from the Silurian of Gotland, Sweden "named after legendary American death metal band, Immolation, who came onto the scene slightly later than the above-mentioned Obituary." (as did this species compared to O. obituary). Genus Ophiolofsson is named after Swedish artist Pär Olofsson, who has illustrated the covers of several Immolation albums. | |
| Ophiolofsson archspire † Thuy, Eriksson, Kutscher & Numberger-Thuy, 2024 | Brittle star | Archspire | A fossil species from the Silurian of Gotland, Sweden "named after Canadian, technical death metal band, Archspire, in recognition of their transcendent form of this music style while simultaneously building on the tradition formed by the progenitor bands." (This is the most recent species known in this genus). | |
| Ophiomalleus stevenwilsoni † Thuy, 2013 | Brittle star | Steven Wilson | A fossil species from the Cretaceous of Germany, "named in honour of British musician Steven Wilson, one of the contemporaneous masters of originality and creativity, whose music often taught me how to let ideas develop and materialise." | |
| Ophiomisidium pratchettae † Thuy & Numberger-Thuy, 2021 | Brittle star | Rhianna Pratchett | A fossil species from the Jurassic of Luxembourg. "Species named in honour of English video game writer and journalist Rhianna Pratchett, for her gamebook Crystal of Storms that reinvigorated stamina in moments of frustration during work on the present study." | |
| Ophiomitrella floorae † Thuy, Numberger-Thuy & Jagt, 2020 | Brittle star | Floor Jansen | A fossil species from the Cretaceous of the Netherlands, named after Dutch singer "Floor Jansen, lead singer of the Finnish band Nightwish in recognition of her long-standing career in metal, her general interest in all things (palaeo)biological and her and the band’s use of fossils for artwork." | |
| Ophiopetagno doro † Thuy, Eriksson, Kutscher & Numberger-Thuy, 2024 | Brittle star | Doro | A fossil species from the Silurian of Gotland, Sweden "named after heavy metal singer Dorothee Pesch, also known as ‘Doro’, to honor her commitment, musical career and role as a pioneer and gate opener for female vocalists in metal music." | |
| Ophiopetagno kansas † Thuy, Eriksson, Kutscher & Numberger-Thuy, 2024 | Brittle star | Kansas (band) | A fossil species from the Silurian of Gotland, Sweden "named after American rock band Kansas, for producing some of the most inspiring songs in the history of rock music, including "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind"." | |
| Ophiotardis tennanti † Thuy & Numberger-Thuy, 2021 | Brittle star | David Tennant | A fossil species from the Jurassic of Luxembourg. "Species named in honour of Scottish actor David Tennant, for his performance as the tenth incarnation of The Doctor in the science fiction series Doctor Who, bringing us inspiration during moments of frustration while writing the present paper." The genus Ophiotardis, created concurrently, was "formed as a combination of óphis, Greek for serpent, a commonly used prefix in ophiuroid genus names, and TARDIS, acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space", the time machine and spacecraft used by Dr Who." | |
| Ophiura tankardi † Thuy, Nungesser & Numberger-Thuy, 2022 | Brittle star | Tankard | A fossil species from the Oligocene of the Mainz Basin, Germany, "named in honor of German thrash metal band Tankard, to celebrate their loyal and consistent connection to their fan base." | |
| Orasema difrancoae Herreid & Heraty, 2008 | Wasp | Ani DiFranco | "I have admired Ani DiFranco for about 10 years," Herreid said. "I like her music and I think she is a great role model." | |
| Orbamia abiyi Hausmann & Tujuba, 2020 | Moth | Abiy Ahmed | An African geometer moth whose name "honours his Excellency Dr Abiy Ahmed Ethiopia's Prime Minister, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, for his tremendous contributions to Ethiopia and the Horn of African geopolitics." | |
| Orbiniella mayhemi Meca & Budaeva, 2024 | Polychaete worm | Mayhem (band) | "The species is named in honour to the Norwegian Black Metal band from Oslo, Mayhem, one of the bands that most contributed to the development of the Norwegian Black Metal in the 90s. [The lead author] was listening to their music to endure the darkest hours in the lab." | |
| Orcevia timburtoni Yu, Maddison & Zhang, 2023 | Spider | Tim Burton | "in honor of the American filmmaker and animator Timothy Walter Burton. Tim Burton's excellent films fired the first author's imagination while he was a child. His films have a gothic and dark nature, reminiscent of the dark coloration in female of the new species." | |
| Orectochilus orbisonorum Miller et al., 2008 | Beetle | Roy Orbison and his widow Barbara Orbison | A species of whirligig beetle from India. | |
| Ornodolomedes mickfanningi Raven & Hebron, 2018 | Spider | Mick Fanning | A species of fishing spider from Queensland, Australia, named "in honour of Australian surfer, Mick Fanning, whose path to surfing greatness has incorporated all the attributes of a champion, including overcoming personal tragedy, career-threatening injury and one of sport's greatest competitive dynasties to reach surfing's highest echelon three times. He has a love for water and has a strong Queensland connection with his favourite "break" being at Queensland's iconic Snapper Rocks at Coolangatta." | |
| Osbornellus obamai Domínguez & Godoy, 2010 | Leafhopper | Barack Obama | | |
| Otarion beukeboomi † Adrain & Chatterton, 1994 | Trilobite | Jeff Beukeboom | 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, Maurotarion and Songkania). | |
| Otarion huddyi † Adrain & Chatterton, 1994 | Trilobite | Charlie Huddy | 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, Maurotarion and Songkania). | |
| Oxelytrum nairoi Amat-García & Valcárcel, 2014 | Beetle | Nairo Quintana | A carrion beetle native to Colombia, "dedicated to the Colombian sportsman Nairo Quintana, one of the "escarabajos" of the new generation of Colombian cyclists, winner of the 2014 Giro d'Italia." | |
| Ozicrypta combeni Raven & Churchill, 1994 | Spider | Pat Comben | A brushed trapdoor spider endemic to Queensland, Australia, named "for Pat Comben, Minister for the Environment and Heritage (1989–1992), in recognition of his efforts to ensure national parks of Queensland, like the type locality, Forty Mile Scrub National Park, are representative of the biodiversity of the state." | |
| Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum † Hanelt et al., 2012 | Dinosaur | Ross Perot and family | "In recognition of members of the Perot family (Margot and H. Ross Perot and their children), who have demonstrated a long history of supporting science and science education for the public." | |
| Palmnickeneoceras ejersboi † Fanti & Damgaard, 2018 | Beetle | Jakob Ejersbo | A fossil soldier beetle found in Baltic amber from the Eocene of Kaliningrad Oblast. | |
| Paracidaris eluveitie † Hostettler & Menkveld-Gfeller, 2015 | Sea urchin | Eluveitie | A fossil species from the Jurassic of Switzerland. "The species name refers to the Etruscan form of the Celtic word Helvetios ("the Helvetian"), Eluveitie. [...] The species is dedicated to the Swiss band Eluveitie, which combines Celtic folklore with metal sound in its music. The detailed sculptures of corona and spines of this regular sea urchin are also reminiscent of "Celtic gold" (jewellery and vessels of the Helvetians)." | |
| Paragordius obamai Hanelt et al., 2012 | Horsehair worm | Barack Obama | "This species is named in honor of the 44th president of the United States of America, Barack H. Obama, whose father was raised and paternal step-grandmother resides in Nyang'oma Kogelo (Kogelo), Kenya, 19 km northwest of the type locality." | |
| Paragorgia jamesi Herrera & Shank, 2016 | Coral | James Rodríguez | "Named in honor of James David Rodríguez Rubio, arguably the best Colombian professional football (soccer) player in history." | |
| Parakoldinioidia akerfeldti † Westrop & Adrain, 2014 | Trilobite | Mikael Åkerfeldt | One of five species concurrently named after members of Opeth. | |
| Parakoldinioidia akessoni † Westrop & Adrain, 2014 | Trilobite | Fredrik Åkesson | One of five species concurrently named after members of Opeth. | |
| Parakoldinioidia lindgreni † Westrop & Adrain, 2014 | Trilobite | Peter Lindgren | One of five species concurrently named after members of Opeth. | |
| Parakoldinioidia lopezi † Westrop & Adrain, 2014 | Trilobite | Martín López | One of five species concurrently named after members of Opeth. | |
| Parakoldinioidia mendezi † Westrop & Adrain, 2014 | Trilobite | Martín Méndez | One of five species concurrently named after members of Opeth. | |
| Paramaka pearljam Mariano, 2011 | Mayfly | Pearl Jam | "Named to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pearl Jam." | |
| Paramphitrite dragovabeci Lavesque, Daffe, Londoño-Mesa & Hutchings, 2021 | Polychaete worm | Drago Vabec | "This species is dedicated to the Yugoslav football player Drago Vabec, legend of the "Stade Brestois" Football Club from 1979 to 1983. This species name was proposed by Jacques Grall (IUEM laboratory—Brest), who collected the type material and who is a great fan of both this club and this player." | |
| Pararhagadochir marielleae Szumik, Pereyra & Juárez, 2022 | Webspinner | Marielle Franco | A species from Brazil named as "a tribute to Marielle Franco, a Brazilian human rights activist, a symbol of the fight against social inequality and in favor of the rights of black women in Brazil." | |
| Pararoncus leonardi Jeong & Harms, 2024 | Pseudoscorpion | Kawhi Leonard | A species from South Korea, whose most notable aspect is the far reach between one clawed leg and another, far exceeding the length of the body; "named in honor of the National Basketball Association player Kawhi Leonard who has the longest wingspan in the American National Basketball Association." | |
| Pararoncus taeyoungi Jeong & Harms, 2024 | Pseudoscorpion | Mun Tae-yeong | A species from South Korea, whose most notable aspect is the far reach between one clawed leg and another, far exceeding the length of the body; "named after the former Korean Basketball League player Tae Young Moon who has the longest wingspan ratio in the Korean Basketball League." | |
| Parascepsis lantingi Grados, 2020 | Moth | Frans Lanting | "The first author and Rainforest Expeditions SAC, which support the project "Discovery new species" in Tambopata would like to dedicate the discovery of this new species to Frans Lanting, whom with wife Christine Eckstrom were key players in raising awareness and establishing the international standing of Tambopata so that it became known in every corner of the world." | |
| Paroligoneurus harishi Ranjith & van Achterberg, 2020 | Wasp | Harish Sivaramakrishnan | A species native to India, "dedicated to Mr. Harish Sivaramakrishnan, Carnatic singer and vocalist of Agam band for his continuing journey in the realm of independent music, imaginative talk and making many listeners to think 'out of the box'." | |
| Pastorius † Carnevale & Johnson, 2015 | Fish | Jaco Pastorius | A genus of fossil cusk-eels from the Cretaceous of Italy. | |
| Pastorius methenyi † Carnevale & Johnson, 2015 | Fish | Pat Metheny | A species of fossil cusk-eel from the Cretaceous of Italy. | |
| Penicillium alexiae Visagie, Houbraken & Samson, 2013 | Fungus | Princess Alexia of the Netherlands | One of five species of Penicillium fungi identified from strains stored at the CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre in Utrecht, Netherlands, and named after the members of the Dutch royal family to coincide with the coronation of Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. | |
| Penicillium amaliae Visagie, Houbraken & Jacobs, 2013 | Fungus | Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange | One of five species of Penicillium fungi identified from strains stored at the CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre in Utrecht, Netherlands, and named after the members of the Dutch royal family to coincide with the coronation of Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. | |
| Penicillium arianeae Visagie, Houbraken & Samson, 2013 | Fungus | Princess Ariane of the Netherlands | One of five species of Penicillium fungi identified from strains stored at the CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre in Utrecht, Netherlands, and named after the members of the Dutch royal family to coincide with the coronation of Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. | |
| Penicillium maximae Visagie, Houbraken & Samson, 2013 | Fungus | Queen Máxima of the Netherlands | One of five species of Penicillium fungi identified from strains stored at the CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre in Utrecht, Netherlands, and named after the members of the Dutch royal family to coincide with the coronation of Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. | |
| Penicillium vanoranjei Visagie, Houbraken & Samson, 2013 | Fungus | Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands | One of five species of Penicillium fungi identified from strains stored at the CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre in Utrecht, Netherlands, and named after the members of the Dutch royal family to coincide with the coronation of Willem-Alexander. "named, in reference to the orange (Dutch=oranje) coloured colonies produced by this species, after Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand, 'Zijne Koninklijke Hoogheid de Prins van Oranje' (translated from Dutch as: 'His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange') and the new King of the Netherlands upon the retirement of Queen Beatrix on 30 April 2013." | |
| Pentaceration bifficlyro Kaiser & Marner, 2012 | Crustacean | Biffy Clyro | "derived from the band Biffy Clyro, which boosted the mood throughout the description of the new species." | |
| Peperomia sirindhorniana Suwanph. & Chantar. | Flowering plant | Sirindhorn | A radiator plant native to Thailand, named to honour "Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Mahidol who initiated the Plant Genetic Conservation Project to develop the personnel and plant genetics resources for the maintenance of plant varieties, and for the development to be advantageous for farmers and the business sector of Thailand." | |
| Percnarcha claudiadoblesae Metz, 2020 | Moth | Claudia Dobles Camargo | "named in honor of Claudia Dobles Camargo, First Lady of Costa Rica and dedicated biopolitical force for Costa Rica's survival and socioeconomic development as a truly green tropical country that is on its way to becoming bioliterate while being an exemplary tropical country for controlling, mitigating and reducing its contributions to climate change." | |
| Phanaeus changdiazi Kohlmann & Solís-Blanco, 2001 | Beetle | Franklin Chang Díaz | | |
| Philogenia marinasilva Machado, 2010 | Damselfly | Marina Silva | A species described from a single specimen collected in Acre, Brazil, and "Named in honor of senator Marina Silva, the former Minister of [the] Environment of Brazil in recognition for her outstanding contribution to the protection of the Amazonian forest, especially that of the state of Acre." | |
| Phlebotomus simonahalepae Cazan, Erisoz Kasap & Mihalca, 2021 | Fly | Simona Halep | "The species is dedicated to the famous tennis player Simona Halep, born in the same county as the type locality." The authors "were very happy afterwards to receive Simona Halep's agreement, through her legal officer, who informed us that she was honoured by our initiative. [...] We dedicate this scientific discovery to Simona Halep, as a sign of honour and recognition for her performance and for the way she bears Romania's name in the world, as we also do in the field of research." | |
| Pholcus youngae Huber, 2011 | Spider | Tata Young | A cellar spider native to Thailand. Subsequently transferred to genus Cantikus. | |
| Photinus guillermodeltoroi Zaragoza-Caballero & Rodríguez-Mirón, 2023 | Firefly | Guillermo del Toro | This species, described from specimens collected in Tapalpa, Jalisco, Mexico, was named "in honor of Guillermo del Toro, a prominent Jalisco-born filmmaker and director." | |
| Phricotelphusa sirindhorn Naiyanetr, 1989 | Crustacean | Sirindhorn | | |
| Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae † Martin et al., 1994 | Dinosaur | Sirindhorn | | |
| Phyllonastes dicaprioi Ortega et al., 2025 | Frog | Leonardo DiCaprio | A cloud forest landfrog from Ecuador, whose name "is a patronym honouring Leonardo DiCaprio, actor, film producer, and conservationist. He has voiced his support for several conservation initiatives in Ecuador; and in 2021, he pledged funds for the conservation and ecosystem restoration of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador." | |
| Physalaemus cristinae Cardozo et al., 2023 | Frog | Cristina Fernández de Kirchner | A Southern frog native to Argentina and Paraguay, "dedicated to the ex-Presidenta [sic] and current Vice Presidenta [sic] of Argentina, Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner, in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to the improvement of the educative [sic] and scientific systems in this country, including the creation of the Ministery of "Ciencia, Tecnologıa e Innovación Productiva" [sic], more than 1800 schools and 15 universities with free public access, ARSAT (Empresa Argentina de Soluciones Satelitales, Sociedad Anónima), INVAP (Instituto de Investigaciones Aplicadas), and a significant increase in the national budget for science." | |
| Physoschistura chulabhornae Suvarnaraksha, 2013 | Fish | Chulabhorn | A freshwater stone loach native to the Chaophraya River basin in Thailand; "The species epithet honours Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn for her valuable scientific works." | |
| Picea burtonii † Klymiuk & Stockey, 2012 | Conifer | Tim Burton | A fossil species from the Cretaceous of Vancouver Island. "The ovuliferous scale, when viewed in transverse section, seems a demonstrable case of "life imitating art."" (it resembles a goblin-like creature) | |
| Pison larsoni Menke, 1988 | Wasp | Gary Larson | "dedicated to Gary Larson whose The Far Side cartoons have brought much laughter to me and many other entomologists." | |
| Pista miosseci Lavesque, Daffe, Londoño-Mesa & Hutchings, 2021 | Polychaete worm | Miossec | "This species is dedicated to the famous Brest singer Christophe Miossec, whose music has accompanied [the lead author] for 25 years, especially when writing." | |
| Placida barackobamai McCarthy, Krug & Valdés, 2010 | Sea slug | Barack Obama | "This species is named in honor of the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama, born in the State of Hawaii, where the holotype of this species was collected. With this name, we would like to recognize President Obama for his efforts to reduce carbon emissions globally and lessen the effects of climate change, as well as for his Proclamation on August 26, 2016 that dramatically expanded the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, in order to preserve this culturally and ecologically important region for future generations." | |
| Platycoelia hiporum Smith, 2003 | Beetle | The Tragically Hip | This species was described by a Canadian entomologist. | |
| Platygomphus benritarum Joshi & Mital, 2022 | Dragonfly | Monisha Behal and Rita Banerji | A clubtail from India, "Named in honor of Monisha "Ben" Behal (founder, North East Network), and Rita Banerji (founder, Green Hub) for their pioneering work across two decades. Both women have been empowering and training the youth of northeast India to become change-makers, working towards creating ecological security, sustainable livelihoods, and social change. The species epithet is the feminine genitive plural created from combining the two names Ben and Rita." | |
| Plebejus chrisreai Churkin, Kolesnichenko & Yakovlev, 2019 | Butterfly | Chris Rea | "The species is named after Christopher Anton (Chris) Rea, British rock and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. The songs of Chris Rea accompanied us in the mountains and deserts for over two decades of expeditions and always brought us luck." | |
| Pleisticanthoides cameroni Ng & Richer de Forges, 2012 | Crustacean | James Cameron | "The species is named after director and deep-sea explorer James Francis Cameron, to honour his landmark dive into the Mariana Trench on 24 March 2012 onboard the Deepsea Challenger, the third man ever to dive to such depths. His films on deep-sea and extra-terrestrial worlds have also been an inspiration to explorers everywhere." | |
| Pleurothallis franciana Sierra-Ariza | Orchid | Francia Márquez | A bonnet orchid native to Colombia, "Named to honor Francia Elena Márquez Mina, Vice-president of the Republic of Colombia (2022–2026), social leader, environmental activist, and Goldman Prize winner (2018), her work has been of vital importance in the social struggles in Colombia. She carried out activities supporting the conservation of rivers, customs, and the territory of the Afro-Colombian people. She is a tireless fighter against indiscriminate mining." | |
| Pleurothallis petroana Sierra-Ariza | Orchid | Gustavo Petro | A bonnet orchid native to Colombia, named "In honor of Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego, President of the Republic of Colombia (2022–2026), in commemoration of his political career; winner of the Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award (2007); tireless supporter of social causes and interest in caring for the environment and mitigating climate change." | |
| Pleurotus sirindhorniae Suwannarach et al., 2020 | Fungus | Sirindhorn | A species of oyster mushroom native to Thailand. | |
| Plumatella chulabhornae Wood, 2006 | Bryozoan | Chulabhorn | A freshwater species native to Thailand. "With kind permission from the Office of Her Royal Highness' Personal Affairs Division the species name honors Princess Chulabhorn, a tireless and effective supporter of scientific endeavors in Thailand." | |
| Pluteus millsii Justo et al. (2023) | Fungus | Mike Mills | "At the request of the original collector, Jan Borovička, this species is dedicated to Michael "Mike" Edward Mills, basist, pianist, and background vocalist of the band R.E.M. Mike is considered R.E.M.'s little genius, and we describe this little American Pluteus in his honor." | |
| Podistra mattheseni † Fanti & Damgaard, 2020 | Beetle | Anders Matthesen | A fossil soldier beetle found in Eocene Baltic amber. | |
| Poecilipta zbigniewi Raven, 2015 | Spider | Zbigniew Preisner | | |
| Polystachya anastacialynae Eb.Fisch., Killmann, J.-P.Lebel & Delep. | Orchid | Anastacia | This species was dedicated to the singer by a longtime German fan who sponsored the research through BIOPAT. | |
| Pomphus zielinskii Kania, 2001 | Weevil | Maciej Zieliński | A Namibian species described by a scientist from the University of Wrocław, and "dedicated to the top Polish basketball player, Maciej Zieliński." | |
| Pouteria samborae Alves-Araújo & Mônico | Flowering plant | Richie Sambora | "The epithet is a tribute to Richard Stephen "Richie" Sambora [...] an American rock star, producer, musician, singer and songwriter whose contribution to music over the last decades has been prodigious and unique. While this may be an unusual tribute, his songs were the soundtrack while performing the fieldwork where the new species was gathered." | |
| Predatoroonops mctiernani Brescovit et al., 2012 | Spider | John McTiernan | The generic name Predatoroonops "is a contraction of "Predator Oonops," taken from the science-fiction action movie Predator. The name refers the fact that all species show the frontal area of the male chelicerae with modified structures that resemble the face of the Predator character [...]. It is also a homage to the 25th anniversary of this blockbuster success." McTiernan is the director of the film. | |
| Predatoroonops peterhalli Brescovit et al., 2012 | Spider | Kevin Peter Hall | Hall played the Predator in the film Predator. | |
| Pristimantis gretathunbergae Mebert et al., 2022 | Frog | Greta Thunberg | "... in honor for Greta Thunberg, a Swedish student, and her global climate activism. [...] Greta Thunberg represents the authentic voice that exposes the motivations behind the diplomatic curtain of politicians and business stakeholders. Her voice is essential if we want to revert to and maintain a healthy environment on the planet we all share, and not least, learn to respect its magnificent mega-diversity of life that took millions of years to evolve." | |
| Pristimantis jamescameroni Kok, 2013 | Frog | James Cameron | "honouring the Canadian film director, producer, environmentalist and explorer Mr. James F. Cameron in recognition of his efforts to alert the general public to environmental problems through pioneering high quality "blockbuster" movies and adventurous documentaries. James Cameron also encourages people to go vegan (a diet excluding animal products), one of the effective ways to reduce human environmental impacts such as global climate change, identified as a serious threat to tepuis ecosystems." The species is known only from Aprada-tepui, Venezuela. | |
| Pristimantis urani Rivera-Correa & Daza, 2016 | Frog | Rigoberto Urán | "The specific name is a patronym for Rigoberto (Rigo) Urán, a Colombian cyclist born in Urrao, Antioquia, type locality of the new species. Rigo Uran represents, despite adversity, the struggle to become a great athlete. The new taxon is native to the northern Andes, mountains widely conquered by the Colombian cyclists." | |
| Protonemura apetor Murányi, Kovács, Vinçon & Manko, 2023 | Stonefly | Apetor | "We dedicate this species to the memory of Tor Eckhoff (1964–2021) aka Apetor. His YouTube videos are still teaching us (related in spirit) how to find happiness in simple things, about the joy of life, and respect and love of Nature." | |
| Protonemura soad Murányi, Manko, Kovács & Vinçon, 2023 | Stonefly | System of a Down | This species is native to Armenia and Georgia. "We dedicate this species to the Armenian-American metal band System of a Down (a.k.a. SoaD). Science should recognize the single most potent element of human existence; biodiversity studies should help to save our Mother Earth." | |
| Pritha garfieldi Marusik & Zamani, 2015 | Spider | Andrew Garfield | Garfield starred in three Spider-Man films. | |
| Pseudapanteles christianafigueresae Fernández-Triana & Whitfield, 2014 | Wasp | Christiana Figueres | "for her persistent interest in ACG survival since the early 1990s, and up through her ... efforts to get the world to reverse its climate change" | |
| Pseudapanteles jorgerodriguezi Fernández-Triana & Whitfield, 2014 | Wasp | Jorge Rodríguez | "who ... helped ACG forge new paths of self-support through Environmental Service Payments" | |
| Pseudapanteles josefigueresi Fernández-Triana & Whitfield, 2014 | Wasp | José María Figueres | "in recognition of his steady and imaginative support of ACG foundation, growth and survival through non-damaging biodiversity development" | |
| Pseudapanteles laurachinchillae Fernández-Triana & Whitfield, 2014 | Wasp | Laura Chinchilla | "in gratitude for her persistent tolerance of ACG efforts to push the conservation envelope during her term in office." | |
| Pseudapanteles luisguillermosolisi Fernández-Triana & Whitfield, 2014 | Wasp | Luis Guillermo Solís | "in appreciation of the new opportunity for further administrative evolution that his election offers to ACG" | |
| Pseudapanteles ottonsolisi Fernández-Triana & Whitfield, 2014 | Wasp | Ottón Solís | "in recognition of his steadfast policy support of the ACG concept throughout two decades ... and the foundation of the party, PAC" | |
| Pseudapanteles renecastroi Fernández-Triana & Whitfield, 2014 | Wasp | René Castro | "who helped ACG and INBio in their early years ..., promoted the development of Costa Rica's carbon market, and tolerated the growing pains of decentralized administration of Costa Rica's conserved wildlands." | |
| Pseudochelidon sirintarae Thonglongya, 1968 | Bird | Sirindhorn | The white-eyed river martin, endemic to Thailand and now possibly extinct, was "named in honour of Her Royal Highness [...] the third daughter of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, for her gracious interest in the wildlife of the Kingdom." | |
| Pseudoclelandia weymouthae † Adrain, Westrop, Karim & Landing 2014 | Trilobite | Tina Weymouth | | |
| Pseudohystricurus wigglesorum † Adrain, Karim & Westrop, 2014 | Trilobite | The Wiggles | | |
| Pseudoloxops kamalaharrisae Balukjian & Van Dam, 2024 | True bug | Kamala Harris | "This species is named in honor of the Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris, who was born in Oakland, California, where the lead author resides and teaches. This species also honors Vice President Harris' work in helping to establish the American Climate Corps in 2023, a jobs-training and education initiative that is aligned with the lead author’s Workforce Development efforts in the Natural History and Sustainability program at Merritt College in Oakland." | |
| Pseudotrichonympha leei del Campo and Keeling, 2017 | Protist | Geddy Lee | One of three species named concurrently after the members of the Canadian band Rush. "Species name refers to the Geddy Lee, a musician who, with other members of Rush, have inspired an interest in natural history and science through art." "A Spanish postdoc, Javier del Campo, asked me to recommend some good Canadian music, and I suggested he listen to Rush," said Patrick Keeling, a University of British Columbia microbiologist and senior author on the paper describing the species. "He came back to me and said 'Those microbes we're finding have long hair like the guys on the album 2112!'" (referring to the abundant flagella on these species). | |
| Pseudotrichonympha lifesoni del Campo and Keeling, 2017 | Protist | Alex Lifeson | One of three species named concurrently after the members of the Canadian band Rush. "Species name refers to the Alex Lifeson, a musician who, with other members of Rush, have inspired an interest in natural history and science through art." | |
| Pseudotrichonympha pearti del Campo and Keeling, 2017 | Protist | Neil Peart | One of three species named concurrently after the members of the Canadian band Rush. "Species name refers to the Neil Peart, a musician who, with other members of Rush, have inspired an interest in natural history and science through art." | |
| Pterostichus neilgaimani Chaladze, et al., 2017 | Beetle | Neil Gaiman | "Species is named after author Neil Gaiman, for bringing back what has been forgotten." | |
| Pterourus bjorkae Pavulaan, 2024 | Butterfly | Björk | "The species name honors Icelandic singer, songwriter, and environmentalist Björk, to recognize her artistic influence and her contributions to environmental awareness." | |
| Ptomaphaginus isabellarossellini Schilthuizen, Njunjić & Perreau, 2018 | Beetle | Isabella Rossellini | "Named in honour of the actress and biologist Isabella Rossellini, whose short movies and stage performances on animal reproduction have popularized theories on the evolution of genitalia. In P. isabellarossellini, the extremely long penis stylet in the male and similarly long spermiduct in the female suggest a long history of sexually antagonistic coevolution, one of the types of selection that appears in Rossellini's Green Porno series on SundanceTV. | |
| Qiliania graffini † Ji et al., 2011 | Bird | Greg Graffin | "In honour of Dr Gregory Graffin, lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles and co-founder of the musical group Bad Religion, for his contributions to evolutionary biology, his public outreach through music, and his inspiration to young scientists around the world." | |
| Quadricona madonnae † Topper, Skovsted, Brock & Paterson, 2011 | Early Arthropod | Madonna | A fossil Bradoriid from the Cambrian of South Australia, "named for the American entertainer Madonna; in reference to the nodes on each valve resembling her conical brassiere made famous during the 1980s and 1990s, particularly her "Blond Ambition" tour in 1990." | |
| Quamtana hectori Huber, 2003 | Spider | Hector Pieterson | A cellar spider native to South Africa, whose name "commemorates Hector Pietersen [sic] and the other children shot in Soweto, June 16, 1976 by police." | |
| Raputia santosii Kallunki | Flowering plant | Juan Manuel Santos | A species from Amazonian Colombia, whose name "honors former President Juan Manuel Santos, one of the chief proponents of Colombia BIO, a national research program created during his administration for the express purpose of funding biological expeditions, during which many new species of plants have been collected." | |
| Relictorygmus trevornoahi Seidel, Minoshima, Arriaga-Varela & Fikáček, 2018 | Beetle | Trevor Noah | A water scavenger beetle from South Africa, "dedicated to the South African comedian Trevor Noah whose performances were a welcomed entertainment to the first author." | |
| Rhinatrema shiv Gower, Wilkinson, Sherratt & Kok, 2010 | Caecilian | Shivnarine Chanderpaul | A species from Guyana, "Named in honour of Shivnarine 'Shiv' Chanderpaul (born 1974), in recognition of his being the West Indies' most capped and highest run-scoring Guyanese cricketer, and international cricketer of the year in 2008." | |
| Rhogeessa menchuae Baird, Marchán-Rivadeneira, Pérez & Baker, 2012 | Bat | Rigoberta Menchú | A small bat species found in Honduras and Guatemala. "This species is named to honor Rigoberta Menchú (along with the rest of the Menchú family) for her decades of work establishing a better understanding of the Mayan culture in Guatemala. Her important work has earned her a Nobel Peace Prize. She always underscored, among other traits, the respect of nature by the native peoples of this area. We propose "Menchu's little yellow bat" as the English common name." | |
| Rhyzodiastes (Temoana) xii Wang, 2016 | Beetle | Xi Jinping | "[D]edicated to Dr. Xi Jin-Ping, the President of the People's Republic of China, for his leadership making our motherland stronger and stronger." Entomologist Cheng-Bin Wang also said that "The Rhyzodiastes (Temoana) is very rare – you might not encounter a single one even after 10 field collection sessions – and it also eats rotten wood for food… so it’s a metaphor for Xi Jinping, a rare person you only encounter once a century, and specifically his controls on corruption [eating rot], which will allow Chinese corruption to gradually disappear." However, censors in China, perceiving the naming of a "bug" as a possible slight against Xi, clamped down on any online references to the new beetle species and ordered them to be removed from Chinese social media. Responding to the censorship, Wang said his gesture had been "deliberately vilified". He was mortified that the naming had been taken as an insult, and stated that it had been intended as a "tremendous honour". Wang believed it to be the first species to be named after a Chinese leader, saying: "As long as science exists, the name will forever exist. It’s a very rare species of beetle, and I would certainly have appreciated it if someone had named it after me". | [417][418] [419][420] [421][422] |
| Rissoella aliciae Espinosa & Ortea, 2009 | Sea snail | Alicia Leal | A species native to Cuba, "named after the painter Alicia Leal Veloz (Sancti Spíritus, 1957) for the constant presence of nature in her pictorial work, in which even Noah's Ark is present and in which animals are actors or extras in everyday scenes of peasant life or Afro-Cuban rites." | |
| Rissoella belkisae Ortea & Espinosa, 2004 | Sea snail | Belkis Ayón | A species native to Cuba, named "in homage to Belkis Ayón, Havana (1967–1999) painter of the African spirituality inherent to the black people in Cuba, concerned with the role of women in the environment of the ñáñigos (Abakuá secret society)." | |
| Rissoella taniae Ortea & Espinosa, 2004 | Sea snail | Tania Bruguera | A species native to Cuba, named "in homage to Tania Brugueras [sic] (Havana, 1968), an artist who delves into the real life of Cubans and at the same time concerns herself with the world that surrounds her through migration, moving her discourse through the air." | |
| Rogneda verveckeni Artois, 2008 | Flatworm | Erwin Vervecken | This species was described by a Belgian scientist. | |
| Rollinschaeta † Parry et al., 2015 | Polychaete worm | Henry Rollins | A fossil annelid worm from the Cretaceous of Lebanon. "Derivation of name: Rollins – for Henry Rollins + chaeta, from Late Latin, for a bristle, seta or long hair." | |
| Rossaspis leboni † Adrain, Westrop, Karim & Landing 2014 | Trilobite | Simon Le Bon | | |
| Saccocirrus slateri Di Domenico, Martínez & Worsaae, 2019 | Polychaete worm | Kelly Slater | "named in honor of surfer Kelly Slater, who has been crowned World Surf League Champion 11 times. The genus Saccocirrus is often found at exposed sandy beaches, where they are able to cope with the turbulence produced by the waves by moving horizontally along the beach slope." | |
| Sacoproteus nishae Krug et al., 2018 | Sea slug | Nisha Ayub | "Named in honor of Nisha Ayub, Malaysian transgender activist and recipient of the International Women of Courage Award 2016, who was born in the state of Malacca where specimens were collected. We honor her courage in the fight for equality and protection of all people." | |
| Saepocephalum stephenfryi Gustafsson & Bush, 2017 | Louse | Stephen Fry | In a revision of the Brueelia-complex, the louse was named in recognition of Fry because his "quiz show "QI" can be seen as a revision of the complexity of human knowledge, one misunderstanding at the time." | |
| Sanaungulus rosenzweigi † Fanti & Damgaard, 2020 | Beetle | Tal R | A fossil soldier beetle found in Burmese amber from the Cretaceous of Hukawng Valley. "Named in honor of the Danish artist Tal Rosenzweig, known as Tal R." | |
| Sanaungulus strungei † Fanti & Damgaard, 2019 | Beetle | Michael Strunge | A fossil soldier beetle found in Burmese amber from the Cretaceous of Hukawng Valley. "In memory of the Danish poet Michael Strunge Jensen (Hvidovre, 19 June 1958 - Copenhagen, 9 March 1986)." | |
| Sarcofahrtiopsis spinetta Mulieri & Dufek, 2019 | Fly | Luis Alberto Spinetta | A flesh fly from Argentina, named "in honor of Luis Alberto Spinetta, Argentine singer, guitarist and songwriter, one of the most influential rock musicians of Argentina." | |
| Sarsamphiascus jackiei Karanovic, 2020 | Crustacean | Jackie Jackson | "The species is named in honour of Sigmund Esco 'Jackie' Jackson, the oldest of five brothers in the American music-group The Jackson 5, which came to prominence in 1969, after signing with Motown label, the same year that I was born. The name [...] alludes to this species being one of five syntopic congeners." | |
| Sarsamphiascus titoi Karanovic, 2020 | Crustacean | Tito Jackson | "The species is named in honour of Toriano Adaryll 'Tito' Jackson, second oldest of five brothers in the American music-group The Jackson 5." | |
| Sarsamphiascus jermainei Karanovic, 2020 | Crustacean | Jermaine Jackson | "The species is named in honour of Jermaine La Jaune Jackson, third oldest of five brothers in the American music-group The Jackson 5." | |
| Sarsamphiascus marloni Karanovic, 2020 | Crustacean | Marlon Jackson | "The species is named in honour of Marlon David Jackson, second youngest of five brothers in the American music-group The Jackson 5." | |
| Sarsamphiascus michaeli Karanovic, 2020 | Crustacean | Michael Jackson | "The species is named in honour of Michael Joseph Jackson, the youngest of five brothers in the American music-group The Jackson 5. [...] This species is the most successful of all Korean congeners, both in abundance and distribution, just as Michael was the most successful of all of his siblings." | |
| Scaptia beyonceae Lessard, 2011 | Fly | Beyoncé Knowles | The horse fly was named after the singer and actress because of its striking golden behind. | |
| Schistura sirindhornae Suvarnaraksha, 2015 | Fish | Sirindhorn | "The species epithet honors Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for her 60th birthday anniversary, her biodiversity conservation projects including a Plant Genetic Conservation Project Under the Royal Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, several projects in education and protein source security for rural communities, and many projects located in Nan Province, the type locality of this species." | |
| Sciophila holopaineni Salmela, 2017 | Fly | Tuomas Holopainen | A fungus gnat native to Finland and Karelia, "named after Mr. Tuomas Holopainen, the founder, songwriter and keyboardist of a Finnish metal band, Nightwish." "I am very, very touched," Holopainen said in a statement, "This is the highest honor a nature nerd like me can receive." | |
| Selenacentrus Morris & Dietrich, 2016 | Treehopper | Selena | A genus of treehoppers from Southwestern USA and Northern Mexico, whose name is "derived from the first name of the late Tejano music artist, Selena, with the suffix –centrus, a commonly employed term in centrotine taxonomy." | |
| Selenyphantes gaimani Silva-Moreira & Hormiga, 2021 | Spider | Neil Gaiman | "The species epithet is an homage to Neil Gaiman, an English writer of short fiction, novels, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. Notable works include American Gods and Anansi Boys, where he features the spider god Anansi from Caribbean mythology as one of its characters. Most recently, he participated in the short documentary Sixteen legs about the Tasmanian cave spider, Hickmania troglodytes (Higgins & Petterd, 1883), where he wrote and voiced the short story A visit to the queen of the dark." Gaiman tweeted "I'm amazed. I'm a spider. Well, sort of. (Thank you to whoever named it!)" | |
| Senecio anastasioi Montesinos | Flowering plant | Trey Anastasio | "The specific epithet refers to the musician Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III (born 30 September 1964), honouring the fifty-eight birthday of that American singer, songwriter, composer and musician who is best known for the band Phish.[...] I enjoyed Trey Anastasio's music during my research, and it greatly facilitated my work." | |
| Sericomyrmex radioheadi Ješovnik & Schultz, 2017 | Ant | Radiohead | "This species is named after the English rock band Radiohead as an acknowledgement of their longstanding efforts in environmental activism, especially in raising climate-change awareness, and in honor of their music, which is an excellent companion during long hours at the microscope while conducting taxonomic revisions of ants." | |
| Serphites hynemani † McKellar & Engel, 2011 | Wasp | Jamie Hyneman | A fossil species found in Canadian amber from the Cretaceous of Grassy Lake, Alberta. "The specific epithet is a patronym for Jamie Hyneman, co-host of the television series Mythbusters, in reference to the 'walrus moustache' formed by the clypeal and mandibular setae in this species." | |
| Serratoterga larsoni Johnson, 1991 | Butterfly | Gary Larson | Subsequently, synonymised with Calycopis pisis (Godman & Salvin, 1887). | |
| Seticotasteromimus brunomanseri Germann, 2021 | Weevil | Bruno Manser | A species native to Malaysian Borneo "dedicated to Bruno Manser (1954–2000?), Swiss environmental activist from Basel, to honour his indispensable activism for rainforest preservation and against deforestation by timber companies, and defender for the human rights of indigenous peoples. Bruno Manser disappeared in 2000 in Malaysia." | |
| Sicoderus bautistai Anderson, 2018 | Weevil | José Bautista | This species is native to the Dominican Republic. | |
| Silvestritermes almirsateri Rocha & Cancello, 2012 | Termite | Almir Sater | A species from Brazil "Named in honour of Almir Sater, a Brazilian singer, songwriter, and guitarist from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, for his musical and poetic descriptions of the Pantanal. The Pantanal is an important wetland ecosystem of South America, where all the samples of this species were collected." | |
| Sinosura dieschbourgae † Thuy & Numberger-Thuy, 2021 | Brittle star | Carole Dieschbourg | A fossil species from the Jurassic of Luxembourg. "Species named after Carole Dieschbourg, Luxembourg environment minister at the time of publication of this paper, for her achievements towards a more sustainable society, but also as an incentive to pursue a rigorous, science-based policy towards climate change mitigation." | |
| Sinusichnus priesti † Kappel, 2003 | Crustacean trace fossil | Judas Priest | An ichnospecies identified from the Cretaceous of Germany. | [244][245] [8] |
| Sirindhorn thailandiensis Adamski & Malikul, 2003 | Butterfly | Sirindhorn | | |
| Sirindhorna † Shibata, Jintasakul, Azuma & You, 2015 | Dinosaur | Sirindhorn | A basal hadrosauroid dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Khok Kruat Formation of Thailand. "Dedication to the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Thailand, for her contribution to the support and encouragement of paleontology in Thailand." | |
| Sirindhornia (plant) H.A.Pedersen & Suksathan | Orchid | Sirindhorn | | |
| Sirindhornia (moth) Pinkaew & Muadsub, 2014 | Moth | Sirindhorn | | |
| Songkania smithi † Adrain & Chatterton, 1995 | Trilobite | Geoff Smith | 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, Maurotarion and Otarion). | |
| Sonoma colberti Ferro, 2016 | Beetle | Stephen Colbert | "named for Stephen Colbert (silent "t") a character created by Stephen Tyrone Colbert (sounded "t"), an author, philosopher, humanitarian, champion of science, and humorist." | |
| Sonoma rossellinae Ferro, 2016 | Beetle | Isabella Rossellini | "named after Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini, an Italian actress and film maker who wrote and starred in Green Porno, a series of short films on animal sexual behavior." | |
| Sonoma stewarti Ferro, 2016 | Beetle | Jon Stewart | "named for Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz), a humanitarian, champion of science, and humorist best known for reintroducing skepticism and intelligence to news reporting through a television program called The Daily Show." | |
| Sparasion elbakyanae Veenakumari, 2023 | Wasp | Alexandra Elbakyan | "This species is named in honour of Alexandra Elbakyan, the intrepid crusader from the Republic of Kazakhstan, who by founding the website Sci-Hub, took on the giants of the publishing industry in her quest to democratize knowledge by 'removing all barriers in access to scientific knowledge'." | |
| Spathaspora brunopereirae Santos et al., 2023 | Yeast | Bruno Pereira | A species collected in the Amazon rainforest, where Pereira was murdered, and named in his honor as a tribute for his work in defence of the environment. | |
| Spathaspora domphillipsii Santos et al., 2023 | Yeast | Dom Phillips | A species collected in the Amazon rainforest, where Phillips was murdered, and named in his honor as a tribute for his work in defence of the environment. | |
| Sphaeropthalma arnalduri Pitts, 2010 | Wasp | Arnaldur Indriðason | A velvet ant from the Sierra Nevada, California, "Named after Arnaldur Indriðason (1961 to present) who is an Icelandic writer of crime fiction and is currently best known for his detective novels involving Detective Erlender Sveinsson." | |
| Sphyrna alleni Gonzalez et al., 2024 | Shark | Paul Allen | "named after Paul G. Allen (1953–2018) who was an investor, co-founder of Microsoft, and philanthropist who, through the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, has generously supported shark research and conservation." | |
| Spintharus barackobamai Agnarsson & Van Patten, 2018 | Spider | Barack Obama | "The species epithet honours former US president Barack Obama for the dignity, humanitarianism, statesmanship and respect he brought to the oval office; a true world leader." | |
| Spintharus leonardodicaprioi Van Patten & Agnarsson, 2018 | Spider | Leonardo DiCaprio | "The species epithet honours the talented actor Leonardo DiCaprio for his amazing acting, and, in particular, for his leading role in bringing awareness of the perils of global climate change to the public and politicians alike." | |
| Spintharus michelleobamaae Agnarsson & Sargeant, 2018 | Spider | Michelle Obama | "The species epithet honours former first lady Michelle Obama who has long fought to defend human rights, fairness, and equality for all, with her characteristic dignity and grace." | |
| Sticta gretae Di Meglio & Goward (2023) | Lichen | Greta Thunberg | "Gretae honors the iconic Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (b. 2003) in recognition of her sustained efforts to secure a habitable future, mobilizing the world's young people to persuade nation government leaders for more aggressive climate action for both humans and lichens alike." | |
| Stittella beeae † Westrop, Waskiewicz Poole & Adrain, 2010 | Trilobite | Samantha Bee | | |
| Streptocephalus sirindhornae Sanoamuang et al., 2000 | Crustacean | Sirindhorn | A freshwater fairy shrimp native to Thailand. | |
| Strigiphilus garylarsoni Clayton, 1990 | Louse | Gary Larson | "named in honor of cartoonist Gary Larson, in appreciation of the unique light he has shed on the workings of nature." In a letter to Larson, Clayton praised him for "the enormous contribution that my colleagues and I feel you have made to biology through your cartoons." In his 1989 book The Prehistory of the Far Side, Larson stated, "I considered this an extreme honor. Besides, I knew no one was going to write and ask to name a new species of swan after me. You have to grab these opportunities when they come along." | |
| Strongylophthalmyia federeri Evenhuis, 2016 | Fly | Roger Federer | "This species is named for tennis champion Roger Federer because of the distinctive racquet-shaped male palpus." | |
| Struthoscelis christianafigueresae Metz, 2017 | Moth | Christiana Figueres | A concealer moth from Costa Rica, "dedicated to Ms. Christiana Figueres in recognition of her decades of care of the ACG biosocio-economic environment, as well as that for Costa Rica, and now for the world as inspiration and leader of the United Nations (UN) climate effort by being the energetic and highly successful Executive Director of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) of the Paris Accords for the World." | |
| Syzygium sirindhorniae Chantar., Suksathan & Wongnak | Flowering plant | Sirindhorn | A species of the myrtle family native to northern Thailand, named "in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand who has long been interested in botanical diversity. She has initiated the Plant Genetic Conservation Project under The Royal Initiative of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn." The vernacular name "Rat-cha-rat" was given by Princess Sirindhorn herself. | |
| Talabrica elotroyoae † Santelli & Del Río, 2014 | Bivalve | El Otro Yo | A fossil species from the Miocene of Patagonia. | |
| Tanidromites nightwishorum † Klompmaker, Starzyk, Fraaije & Schweigert, 2020 | Crustacean | Nightwish | A fossil crab from the Jurassic of eastern Austria. "Named in honor of the members of the symphonic metal band Nightwish (Troy Donockley, Kai Hahto, Marko Hietala, Tuomas Holopainen, Floor Jansen, and Emppu Vuorinen), in particular for their 2015 album Endless Forms Most Beautiful about the evolution of life." | |
| Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi Schurkman et al., 2022 | Roundworm | Jeff Daniels | An often fatal parasite of tarantulas, "named after American actor Jeff Daniels, whose character in the 1990 film Arachnophobia kills the queen spider and saves the fictional town of Canaima from a deadly infestation of spiders." "His character in the film is a spider killer, which is exactly what these nematodes are," said one of the parasitologists involved in the discovery. Daniels joked "When I first heard a new species of nematode had been named after me, I thought, 'Why? Is there a resemblance?'" "Honestly, I was honored by their homage to me and Arachnophobia," the actor added, noting that it "made me smile." He then quipped, "And of course, in Hollywood, you haven't really made it until you've been recognized by those in the field of parasitology." | |
| Tarsius sirindhornae † Chaimanee et al., 2011 | Tarsier | Sirindhorn | Fossil species of tarsier from the Miocene of Thailand, named "in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who has repeatedly demonstrated her great interest in the palaeontological richness of her country." | |
| Tasmanicosa hughjackmani Framenau & Baehr, 2016 | Spider | Hugh Jackman | "The specific epithet for this wolf spider species honours the Australian actor Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine in the X-Men film series, for his extraordinary artistic skills and more so for his numerous philanthropic activities." The species is endemic to Australia, and the common name "wolverine wolf spider" was proposed by its discoverers. | |
| Teleogramma obamaorum Stiassny & Alter, 2015 | Fish | Barack Obama and Michelle Obama | "We name this new cichlid species from the freshwater heart of the African continent in honor of U.S. President barack obama and First lady Michelle obama, in recognition of their commitment to science education, development, gender equality, and self-reliance for all peoples of African nations, and their dedication to environmental conservation in Africa and beyond." | |
| Terebella banksyi Lavesque, Daffe, Londoño-Mesa & Hutchings, 2021 | Polychaete worm | Banksy | "This species is dedicated to Banksy, a brilliant street artist whose graphic work always conveys powerful messages." | |
| Terebellides sepultura Garraffoni & Lana, 2003 | Polychaete worm | Sepultura | "The species is named to honour Sepultura, the best Brazilian heavy metal band." | |
| Teresirogas billbrysoni Quicke & van Achterberg, 2014 | Wasp | Bill Bryson | An Australian parasitoid wasp "Named after the [sic] William Bryson, author of Down Under about a trip through Australia as well as many other entertaining works." | |
| Testudacarus harrisi O'Neill & Dowling, 2016 | Mite | Sam Harris | "after Samuel Benjamin Harris, the American author, philosopher, and co-founder of Project Reason. Sam Harris, more than any speaker and author, has challenged my (JCO) views and assumptions and kept me on my toes." | |
| Tetramorium adamsi Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2012 | Ant | Douglas Adams | | |
| Thaipotamon chulabhorn Naiyanetr, 1993 | Crustacean | Chulabhorn | A freshwater crab native to Thailand, named "in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn, [on] the occasion of Her Royal Highness's 36th birthday, as a token of respect, and in recognition of Her Highness's important contribution to the promotion of education, science and public health in Thailand, as well as Her efforts to bring an acceptable balance between industrial development and nature conservation. Her Royal Highness graciously permitted the use of Her name for this interesting species with its intriguing colour pattern." | |
| Thaumatodryinus tuukkaraski Olmi, Copeland & Guglielmino, 2015 | Wasp | Tuukka Rask | "This species is named after Tuukka Rask, the acrobatic goaltender for the Finnish National ice hockey team and the Boston Bruins, whose glove hand is as tenacious as the raptorial fore tarsus of this dryinid species." | |
| Thepparatia Phuph. | Flowering plant | Sirindhorn | A monotypic genus of mallows described from a holotype collected in Thailand. "The genus is, by gracious permission dedicated to Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who has made great efforts to conserve the natural environments in Thailand. Thepparat is her royal title." | |
| Thunberga Jäger, 2020 | Spider | Greta Thunberg | A genus of huntsman spiders endemic to Madagascar, "Named after Greta Thunberg (*2003 in Sweden), a young and courageous climate activist fighting against global warming, ignorant stakeholders and for a better future on our planet. In fact, global warming and other issues caused by humans affect all parts of the nature including Madagascar’s nature in general and its spider fauna in particular." | |
| Thunberga boyanslat Jäger, 2021 | Spider | Boyan Slat | "named for the inventor and entrepreneur Boyan Slat (*1994 in the Netherlands) for initiating the ocean clean-up" | |
| Thunberga greta Jäger, 2020 | Spider | Greta Thunberg | "The species is named for Greta Thunberg (*2003 in Sweden) for her strong commitment for a better future on our planet" | |
| Thunberga jyoti Jäger, 2021 | Spider | Jyoti Kumari | "named for the 15-year-old girl Jyoti Kumari from India who drove her ailing father with her bicycle 1200 km from Sikandarpur (Haryana) to Darbhanga (Bihar) to allow him treatment in his home village; the name is chosen for all loving and caring persons on our planet" | |
| Thunberga malala Jäger, 2021 | Spider | Malala Yousafzai | "The species honours Malala Yousafzai (*1997 in Pakistan), an activist for female education and children's rights and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in history" | |
| Thunbergia gretae Martens, 2020 | Harvestman | Greta Thunberg | "Named in honour of Greta Thunberg, the initiator of the single-person campaign 'Skolstrejk för klimatet' in Sweden. Her personal initiative developed into a large international movement, consisting mainly of young people in many countries worldwide, and now known as 'Fridays for Future'. The campaign demands consequent and stringent global action to protect the Earth's climate. The morphological peculiarity of the new species described here, an effective claw or pincer, may be taken as an allusion to the single-minded and tenacious energy applied by Greta Thunberg to the aims of the campaign." | |
| Tianchisaurus nedegoapeferima † Dong, 1993 | Dinosaur | Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, Ariana Richards, and Joseph Mazzello | Actors involved in the 1993 film Jurassic Park: Neill, Dern, Goldblum, Attenborough, Peck, Ferrero, Richards, and Mazzello. The type specimen was informally referred to as "Jurassosaurus". The species name was proposed by director Steven Spielberg. | |
| Tigriopus sirindhornae Chullasorn, Dahms & Klangsin, 2013 | Crustacean | Sirindhorn | A marine copepod described from specimens collected in Thailand. | |
| Tinaegeria carlosalvaradoi Metz, 2020 | Moth | Carlos Alvarado Quesada | "named in honor of Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of Costa Rica, who is philosophically and practically dedicated to facilitating Costa Rica's continued growth into being the most green tropical country of all. He encourages Costa Rican bioliteracy for conservation of its wild biodiversity, which is relevant to the forests in which his patronym moth lives." | |
| Tinaegeria romanmacayai Metz, 2020 | Moth | Román Macaya | "named in honor of Dr. Román Macaya, in recognition of his proactive and intense support for BioAlfa, the initiating biodiversity inventory of Costa Rica, while simultaneously being the Costa Rican ambassador to the United States." | |
| Tmesisternus floorjansenae Weigel, 2018 | Beetle | Floor Jansen | Jansen wrote on her website: "How special to have the honor of having a beautiful animal named after me." | [482][483] [484] |
| Torrenticola manni Fisher et al., 2017 | Mite | Charles C. Mann | "Named in honor of author Charles Mann, whose books about the peopling of North America (e.g., 1491, 1493) breach history and venture into human ecology. They are an inspiration to confronting misconceptions and a reminder that even seemingly well-known history, whether archeological or evolutionary, is in fact usually not well-known. His books are a battle cry to never cease learning and to always question." | |
| Torrenticola oliveri Fisher et al., 2017 | Mite | John Oliver | "Named in honor of comedian John Oliver and his team, whose commentary on Last Week Tonight breaches the realm of comedy and enters journalism. News and politics, like science, require both challenging misinformation and effectively communicating those challenges—tasks Oliver has humbly mastered." | |
| Torrenticola pollani Fisher et al., 2017 | Mite | Michael Pollan | "Named in honor of author Michael Pollan, whose influential books breach mere accounts on food culture and enter insightful discussions of human ecology." | |
| Torrenticola tysoni Fisher et al., 2017 | Mite | Neil Degrasse Tyson | "Named in honor of Neil Degrasse Tyson for his efforts in popularizing cosmology and science in general with Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (2014), which was a worthy update to Carl Sagan’s Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980)." | |
| Torvosaurus gurneyi † Hendrickx & Mateus, 2014 | Dinosaur | James Gurney | Gurney created and illustrated the Dinotopia books. | |
| Tosanoides obama Pyle, Greene & Kosaki, 2016 | Fish | Barack Obama | The species was named after former US President Barack Obama in honor of his efforts to preserve natural environments. | |
| Trachyoribates viktortsoii Ermilov, 2019 | Mite | Viktor Tsoi | "The species is named after the late Viktor Robertovich Tsoi (Russian: Виктор Робертович Цой; 21 June 1962–15 August 1990), the famous Soviet rock musician, singer and songwriter who co-founded the Kino rock band, one of the most popular and musically influential bands in the history of Russian music. Tsoi's songs long have had special significance for the author, and continue to provide a musical background for his scientific research." | |
| Traumatomutilla pilkingtoni Bartholomay & Williams, 2019 | Wasp | Karl Pilkington | "This remarkable species, is named in honor of the British philosopher, comedian, radio personality, presenter, author, and actor Karl Pilkington due to its rounded orange head." | |
| Travunijana djokovici Grego & Pešić, 2021 | Snail | Novak Djokovic | "named after Novak Djokovic, a famous Serbian tennis player, to acknowledge his inspiring enthusiasm and energy." "I don't know how symbolic this is, because throughout my career I always tried to be fast and then a snail was named after me," Djokovic said, cracking a laugh. "Maybe it's a message for me, telling me to slow down a bit!" "I am honoured that a new species of snail was named after me because I am a big fan of nature and ecosystems and I appreciate all kinds of animals and plants," Djokovic added. "I try to live in harmony with nature. The news made me laugh." | |
| Trigona (Tetragonula) sirindhornae Michener & Boongird, 2004 | Bee | Sirindhorn | A species native to Thailand, dedicated "to HRH Princess Sirindhorn on the occasion of her 48th birthday celebrations. We wish to convey our gratitude to HRH for graciously granting permission to name the species after her". Tetragonula, formerly a subgenus of Trigona, was subsequently elevated to genus status, making the valid name of the species Tetragonula sirindhornae. | |
| Trigonostomum vanmecheleni Artois, Schockaert, Beenaerts & Reygel, 2013 | Flatworm | Koen Vanmechelen | A rhabdocoel flatworm collected from the channels of Venice and described by scientists of Hasselt University, "Dedicated to the Belgian conceptual artist Koen Vanmechelen, for his continuous efforts to unite science and art, cherishing diversity in all its aspects as a central theme." | |
| Trogolaphysa gisbertae Brito & Zeppelini, 2022 | Springtail | Gisberta Salce Júnior | This species is native to Brazil and named as an "Honor to Gisberta Salce Júnior, Brazilian woman, murdered in 2006 (Porto, Portugal) in a transphobia crime." | |
| Troporhogas rafaelnadali Quicke, Loncle & Butcher, 2024 | Wasp | Rafael Nadal | | |
| Troporhogas rogerfedereri Quicke, Loncle & Butcher, 2024 | Wasp | Roger Federer | | |
| Trypanosoma irwini McInnes et al., 2009 | Protist | Steve Irwin | | |
| Tsinania sirindhornae † Wernette & Hughes, 2023 | Trilobite | Sirindhorn | A fossil from the Cambrian of Thailand, "Named in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand for her support of science and technology, and particularly for her interest in palaeontology." | |
| Tuleaspis jeneki † McAdams, Adrain & Karim, 2018 | Trilobite | Courtney Act | Named after Courtney Act's birth name, Shane Jenek. | |
| Tupacsala † Petrulevičius & Gutiérrez, 2016 | Dragonfly | Túpac Amaru II and Milagro Sala | Fossil Odonatoptera from the Carboniferous of La Rioja Province, Argentina. "Dedicated to the memory of José Gabriel Condorcanqui Noguera, "Túpac" Amaru II (1738-1781) and to Milagro Amalia Ángela "Sala" (1963-). Túpac Amaru in 1780-1781 initiated a revolt against [the] Spanish State and its rules. He was tortured (forced to witness the execution of the sentences imposed on his family), executed and quartered to be exposed. Milagro Sala is a prominent Argentine social leader, Secretary of the "Organización Barrial Túpac Amaru" and Parliamentary of the Parlasur imprisoned with other members of the organization since January 16, 2016." The type species is named Tupacsala niunamenos, "Dedicated to "Ni una menos" (Not one [woman] less), a collective against gender violence. It is a collective campaign that arose from the need to say "enough femicides", because in Argentina every 30 hours a woman is killed just [for] being a woman." | |
| Tympanoctomys kirchnerorum Teta, Pardiñas, Sauthier & Gallardo, 2014 | Rodent | Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner | "The idea of this tribute arises as a result of the fact that the governments of both presidents were characterized by an active policy of promoting science, the repatriation of scientists, and above all, by the creation of a Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation." | |
| Typhlamia genesis Gellert, Palero & Błażewicz, 2022 | Crustacean | Genesis (band) | "The generic name Typhlamia is linked with the record 'The Lamia' from the album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway from the music band Genesis. Name of species after the Genesis music band." | |
| Tytthonyx stadili † Fanti & Damgaard, 2019 | Beetle | Christian Stadil | A fossil soldier beetle found in Dominican amber from the Miocene of the Cordillera Septentrional. "In honor of the owner and CEO of Thornico Group and chairman for the fashion brand Hummel, Christian Nicholas Stadil." | |
| Uma thurmanae Derycke, Gottscho, Mulcahy, & De Queiroz, 2020 | Lizard | Uma Thurman | "The specific name honors Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970), an American actress and pop icon, for her philanthropic contributions and outreach promoting wildlife conservation and human rights." | |
| Ummidia brandicarlileae Godwin & Bond, 2021 | Spider | Brandi Carlile | "in honor of Brandi Carlile, an American singer-songwriter who, along with Tim and Phil Hanseroth, established the Looking Out Foundation, which raises money and awareness for numerous causes to include supporting child victims of war, world hunger, LGBT rights, and the empowerment of women. Carlile founded the annual Girls Just Wanna Weekend Festival to counter the lack of female representation at mainstream music festivals, which takes place near the type locality for this species." | |
| Ummidia gabrieli Godwin & Bond, 2021 | Spider | Peter Gabriel | "in honor of musician and human rights activist Peter Gabriel." | |
| Ummidia neilgaimani Godwin & Bond, 2021 | Spider | Neil Gaiman | "in honor of Neil Gaiman, author of a number of fantasy and horror books with spider-based characters. In one book, American Gods, the main character is tied to the World Tree located "one hour south of Blacksburg," not far from the type locality of this species." | |
| Unruhdinium Gottschling, 2017 | Protist | N. U. Unruh | One of two genera of dinoflagellates named concurrently after the two permanent members of Einstürzende Neubauten (see also Blixaea). | |
| Uperoleia gurrumuli Catullo & Keogh, 2021 | Frog | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu | Gurrumul was born in the Wessel Islands, which this rare species is endemic to. | |
| Uvariopsis dicaprio Cheek & Gosline | Flowering plant | Leonardo DiCaprio | "This threatened and spectacular tree is named for the American actor and conservationist Leonardo DiCaprio, who, through several months in 2020, lobbied extensively on social media to draw attention to threats for the numerous rare Ebo species from the logging concession that had been announced at Ebo earlier that year. The concession was cancelled in August 2020, surely partly due to his efforts." | |
| Vatica najibiana Ummul-Nazrah | Flowering plant | Najib Razak | An endangered tree species endemic to Peninsular Malaysia, "named in honour of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, for his strong interest in nature conservation and protection of the environment." | |
| Venomius tomhardyi Rossi, Castanheira, Baptista & Framenau, 2023 | Spider | Tom Hardy | The monotypic genus Venomius had been named after the Marvel Comics character Venom, and the species was named "in reference to the English actor Edward Thomas 'Tom' Hardy, who plays the character Eddie Brock and his alter-ego Venom in the super-hero films of the same name." | |
| Volvarina rhiannae Ortea, 2021 | Sea snail | Rihanna | "Named in honour of Rhianna [sic] Fenty, talent, beauty and commitment, considered the most successful artist of the 21st century, of whom a personality like Barack Obama highlighted her powerful force in the struggle to give dignity to people. The holotype was collected in her hometown, Saint Michael (Barbados), a curious coincidence to pay tribute to a universal Barbadian." The author also mentioned Rihanna's status as a National Hero of Barbados and her involvement in the Believe Foundation and the Clara Lionel Foundation. | |
| Vultur messii † Degrange et al., 2023 | Condor | Lionel Messi | A fossil species of condor from the Pliocene of Argentina, named "Honouring the Argentinean football player Lionel Andrés Messi, one of the best of our times, who, being captain and best player, together with an outstanding team won the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022." | |
| Wahydra graslieae A. Warren, Carneiro, & Dolibaina, 2018 | Butterfly | Emily Graslie | "We are delighted to name this species in honor of Emily Graslie, Chief Curiosity Correspondent at the Field Museum (Chicago, Illinois, USA), in recognition of her efforts to promote natural history collections through her YouTube channel The Brain Scoop" | |
| Websteroprion † Eriksson et al., 2017 | Polychaete worm | Alex Webster | A genus of fossil bobbit worms from the Devonian of Ontario, Canada, notable for their large size, "Named after Alex Webster – a 'giant' of a bass player – combined with 'prion' meaning saw." | |
| Wormaldia menchuae Muñoz-Quesada & Holzenthal, 2015 | Caddisfly | Rigoberta Menchú | A species native to Guatemala, "named in honor of Rigoberta Menchú Tum, the Guatemalan and Mayan Quiché Indian and winner of the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of her outstanding campaign for human rights, especially for indigenous peoples." | |
| Xanthosomnium Wahl & Sime, 2002 | Wasp | Tangerine Dream | "The genus is named after the musical group Tangerine Dream, the choice of discriminating ichneumonologists. From the Greek xanthos, yellow or yellowish-red (the closest equivalent to 'tangerine' in a classical language) and the Latin somnium, dream." | |
| Xerobiotus gretae Massa et al., 2021 | Tardigrade | Greta Thunberg | This species is native to Sweden. "We dedicate this species to the climate activist Greta Thunberg, for her brave and insightful efforts to open the eyes of the world leaders about the need for action against climate change. The achievements of Greta Thunberg give us hope that the challenges of changing the unsustainable path of human societies may still be possible, just like the tiny tardigrades are able to overcome seemingly impossible environmental challenges. But we have to act now!" | |
| Xestochironomus dickinsoni Pinho & Souza, 2013 | Fly | Bruce Dickinson | | |
| Xestochironomus virgoferreae Pinho & Souza, 2013 | Fly | Iron Maiden | "Virgo Ferrea" is Latin for "Iron Maiden". | |
| Xyloplax princealberti Payne et al., 2023 | Sea daisy | Albert II, Prince of Monaco | "This species honors His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco for his efforts to protect the marine environment through the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation." | |
| Zasphinctus obamai Hita Garcia et al., 2017 | Ant | Barack Obama | "This species is named in honour of Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America. We want to acknowledge his important efforts undertaken for the conservation of fragile natural habitats around the globe. Also, the type locality of Z. obamai is geographically close to the hometown of Obama's paternal family in Western Kenya." | |
| Zingiber sirindhorniae Triboun & Keerat. | Flowering plant | Sirindhorn | A species of ginger plant native to Loei Province in northern Thailand. "The specific epithet honours Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn of Thailand who has taken a keen interest in the conservation of plants." The vernacular name "Aiyarit" (ไอยริศ) was given by Princess Sirindhorn herself. | |