Obsessed with bright lights, very irritating and flaps a lot: New moth species named after Donald Trump
The scientist who made the discovery wants to raise the profile of the moth's depreciating habitat.
A new species of moth has been named after US president-elect Donald Trump due to the fact that it bears an uncanny resemblance to the man who was likened to a golden pheasant only months ago.
The tiny creature sports a proud tuft of golden scales on the crown of its head – unmistakably similar to the lavish yellow tufts adorning of the business mogul-turned politician. Evolutionary biologist Dr Vazrick Nazari discovered the new insect in California, and says he was amused by the resemblance.
Nazari has officially named the species Neopalpa donaldtrumpi. It is a previously unidentified type of twirler moth whose habitat is endangered, and the scientist hopes that its resemblance to Trump would create more awareness of the species' plight.
He said: "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.
In November 2016, an image of a golden pheasant in China became an internet storm after a journalist pointed out its striking similarity to the 70-year-old reality TV star. Again, the operative feature of the comparison was the animal's thick head of golden feathers.
Nazari said his motivations for choosing the name went beyond simple mockery. He said: "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."
In December 2016, a new species of coral reef fish was named after President Barack Obama. The scientists responsible did not claim that he bore any resemblance to the sea creature rather that they just wanted to honour him.
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