SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, Jan. 17 (UPI) — Scientists have named a newly discovered species of moth after Donald Trump.
Researchers named the moth after the President-elect because the new moth, in adult form, boasts a series of yellowish-white scales on its head, resembling the hair of Trump.
The moth, Neopalpa donaldtrumpi, was formally introduced in the latest issue of the journal ZooKeys. It is one of two species within a genus of twirler moths.
N. donaldtrumpi and its relative are both found throughout Southern California, as well as across the border in Baja California, Mexico.
Researchers hope their topical name will bring attention to the fact that new species can still be found in the United States, even among already well-surveyed habitat.
“The discovery of this distinct micro-moth in the densely populated and otherwise zoologically well-studied southern California underscores the importance of conservation of the fragile habitats that still contain undescribed and threatened species, and highlights the paucity of interest in species-level taxonomy of smaller faunal elements in North America,” evolutionary biologist Vazrick Nazari said in a news release.
Nazari discovered specimens of the new species while perusing the moth collections of the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Berkeley.
“By naming this species after the 45th President of the United States, I hope to bring some public attention to, and interest in, the importance of alpha-taxonomy in better understanding the neglected micro-fauna component of the North American biodiversity,” Nazari concluded.
