Donald Trump, The President of the United States of America (that’s going to need some getting used to) has received the incredible honour of having a moth named after him. What a time to be alive!
Presenting Neopalpa donaldtrumpi, a newly discovered species of moth with a Trump-ish yellow mane. On a totally unrelated note, the micro-moth has reportedly tiny genitals. Pure coincidence.
Evolutionary biologist Dr. Vzrick Nazari, when he was examining specimens from the Bohard Museum of Entomology, noticed that within the genus of Neopalpa there were a few outlying moths that had comparatively smaller “family jewels”, for lack of a better term. Using DNA barcoding analysis, the scientist concluded that the outlying insects were indeed a separate, unrecognised species.
The eventual naming also seemed fitting due to the fact that these not-so-well endowed creatures are native to the exact area where Trump is supposedly looking to build his “tremendous” wall: Arizona, California, and Mexico’s Baja California.
The act of naming species after resembling celebrities and figureheads is not an uncommon one. George W Bush has a slime beetle named after him, and there is an Obama fish swimming around somewhere in Hawaii.
While the seemingly toupeed micro-moth is named after a man of intense power, the Neopalpa donaldtrumpi is a less comfortable predicament.
Dr. Nazari hopes his move to name the species after Trump will encourage greater focus on the conservation of these threatened species and their habitats.
Source: IFL Science.
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