A Miniscule Moth is named after America’s Newest President – Donald Trump
Just days before Donald Trump’s inauguration as the new President of the United States of America, a species was already named after him. A miniscule moth with a wingspan of 0.4 inches was given the name of Neopalpa donaldtrumpi by the evolutionary biologist Vazrick Nazari.
What must have inspired the researcher from Ottawa, Canada to name this moth after Trump? Well, if you look closely the yellow and white scales topping the moth’s head perfectly resembles Trump signature hairstyle.This new species was discovered at the Bohart Museum of Entomology in California while Nazari was examining moth specimens.
While this is the first species to be named after President Trump, an extremely hairy orange-yellow caterpillar of a flannel moth was also named after him in September 2016. The caterpillar was named Trumpapillar. Other scientists have also used the names of popular personalities like President Barack Obama, Johnny Depp, Star Wars characters, or musical icons like Beyonce.
Nazari said, “Lending a recognizable name to a new species can help inspire public interest — not only for the newly discovered animal, but also for the ecosystem it inhabits and the threats it might face…
Though small, the yellow-headed moth N. donaldtrumpi could have a big impact on biodiversity awareness — for the general public and perhaps for the president-elect himself.”
Nazari also hoped that with new moth discovered, the president would make conservation of such fragile ecosystems in the U.S. his top priority.
“These ecosystems still contain many undiscovered and undescribed species, and deserve to be protected for future generations.”
