Spiders, Wasps, Jellyfish, Frogs and Lizards: How 20 Musicians Inspired Scientific Names

Scientists name newly discovered species after famous people for all kinds of reasons. They could look like the specie. Often, naming a specie after a famous person also helps raise awareness of the creature, and could even help save it if it’s endangered. Mostly, researchers name their discoveries in tribute or gratitude; for example, Hugh Hefner has a rabbit specie named after him because he helped fund its research. Same with a lemur named after comedian John Cleese. US President George Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld each have a slime-mold beetle named after them. And then there’s Stephen Colbert, who begged scientists on national TV to name anything after him. He got the Aptostichus stephencolberti — a trapdoor species of spider. But we're here to look at the musicians who have inspired the names of four (or more) legged friends. Here are 20 of our favorites.

David Bowie: 'Heteropoda davidbowie'

The Heteropoda davidbowie, distinguished by its large size and yellow hair, can be found in parts of Malaysia. It was named after David Bowie because of his musical contribution to arachnid world – the 1972 concept album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

Peter Jäger, the German spider expert who discovered the Heteropoda davidbowie, said that naming spiders after celebrities helped draw attention to the marginal status of many species as human activity destroys their habitats.

 

Roy and Barbara Orbison: 'Orectochilus orbisonorum'

A species of beetle that appears as if its wearing a tuxedo was named in honor of the late rock & roll legend Roy Orbison and his widow Barbara in 2004. Entomologist Quentin Wheeler of Arizona State University dubbed Orectochilus orbisonorum during a Roy Orbison Tribute concert. The ending of the species name, "orum," denotes it was named after a couple.

Less than a quarter-inch long (five millimeters), O. orbisonorum belongs to the Gyrinidae family, a group of beetles that typically live on the surface of the water. It has a white underbelly, but its top surface is shiny black. The beetle's elegant appearance is one reason for the naming. "It almost looks like it's wearing a tuxedo," Wheeler said.

 

Ani Difranco: 'Orasema difrancoae'

Judith Herreid, a graduate student who studies a unique family of ant-parasitoid wasps at the University of California, Riverside, discovered several new species of wasps last year, and named one after folk singer 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.”

The Orasema difrancoae is a wasp that could potentially control invasive ant populations, including important ant pests such as the Red Imported Fire ant, the Little Red Fire ant and the Big-headed ant. Wasps belonging to the family Eucharitidae are all specialized parasitoids that take nourishment from ants and eventually kill their host.

 

Neil Young: 'Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi'

A sneaky spider was named after rock veteran Neil Young in 2008. Jason Bond, a biologist at East Carolina University, named it Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi.

It is also known as a trapdoor spider. Bond said, "I really enjoy [Neil Young’s] music and have had a great appreciation of him as an activist for peace and justice." Bond discovered the trapdoor spider in Jefferson Co., Alabama. The spider lives in a burrow and crafts a trap door to seal off its living quarters from parasites and predators.

 

Metallica: 'Metallichneumon neurospastarchus'

In 2002 this ichneumonid wasp was named after Metallica. "Neurospastarchus" translates as "Master of Puppets," a cult metal album by Metallica. The name refers to the larval ichneumonid's manipulation of its host insect.

 

Frank Zappa: 'Phialella zappa, Pachygnatha zappa;' Zappa, a genus of Gobiidae 

Avant-garde musician Frank Zappa inspired a number of species' names. In 1987, the jellyfish was named by Ferdinando “Nando” Boero from Genova, Italy. He wrote to Zappa hoping to meet him, as he was a big fan. Zappa said, “there is nothing I would like better than having a jellyfish with my name.”

Scientists also named an entire genus of goby fish after Zappa, as well as an orb-weaver spider whose black markings reminded the scientists of Zappa's crazy mustache.

 

The Ramones: 'Mackenziurus johnnyi;' 'Mackenziurus deedeei;' 'Mackenziurusceejayi' and 'Mackenziurus joeyi'

The Mackenziurus genus of trilobites containing several species, but four are most famous, named after members of the American punk band the Ramones in 1990.

M. joeyi is named after Joey Ramone; M. johnnyi, named after Johnny Ramone; M. deedeei, named after Dee Dee Ramone; and M. ceejayi, named after C. J. Ramone.

 

Carole King and James Taylor: 'Anacroneuria carole' and 'Anacroneuria taylori'

In 2004, scientist Bill Stark of Mississippi College named these stoneflies after Carole King and James Taylor because of their support for environmental causes.

 

Johnny Cash: 'Aphonepelma johnnycashi'

This particular tarantula species can be found near the area of Folsom Prison in California, said the researchers, led by Auburn University's Chris Hamilton. "Like Cash’s distinctive style of dress (where he was referred to as “the man in black”), mature males of this species are generally black in color."

 

Bono: 'Aptostichus bonoi'

This trapdoor spider was named "in honor of Bono from the Irish rock group U2 and in recognition of the Joshua Tree album released in March of 1987."

It's a morphological species of Euctenizidae spider, nocturnal arthropods that seize their prey after leaping out of their burrows and inject it with venom.The species was found in Joshua Tree National Park, California, and described by the Auburn University professor Jason Bond in 2012.

 

Bob Marley: 'Gnathia marleyi'

A tiny crustacean that attaches itself to fish that inhabit coral reefs in the Caribbean, researcher Paul Sikkel from Arkansas State University discovered the creature and decided to honor reggae musician Bob Marley.

"I named this species, which is truly a natural wonder, after Marley because of my respect and admiration for Marley's music. Plus, this species is as uniquely Caribbean as was Marley."

 

James Brown: 'Funkotriplogynium iagobadius'

Many of the mites in this family are not parasitic but free-living and predatory; this particular one was named after the king of funk (Iago, "James" and badius, "brown,") probably because he was called Mr. DynaMITE.

 

Jim Morrison: 'Barbaturex morrisoni'

In 2014, this giant Eocene lizard was named after the Lizard King Jim Morrison, vocalist of The Doors. It was the size of a German shepherd and once roamed Myanmar.

From fossil analysis it is revealed to be one of the largest lizards ever known. "This is a king lizard, and he was the lizard king, so it just fit," said Jason Head, a paleontologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who led the study and gave the lizard its name.

 

Beyonce: 'Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae'

The honor was inspired by Beyonce Knowles’ hit single "Bootylicious" and the dense patch of golden hairs on the fly's rear end.

Bryan Lessard, a researcher from Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Australia, named it Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae, because this horsefly is the “all-time diva of flies."

 

Shakira: 'Aleiodes shakirae'

This parasitic wasp was named after Colombian singer Shakira, who is famous for her belly-dancing. The parasite causes its host to bend and twist its abdomen.

 

Joe Strummer, The Clash: 'Alviniconcha strummeri'

This sea snail is studded with spikes, has purple blood and lives in an extreme environment. So in 2014, the researchers named it after punk rock icon Joe Strummer.

 

Henry Rollins: 'Amphinema rollinsi'

Maybe all the cool rockstars get jellyfish named after them: Henry Rollins inspired this naming in 2007. He was the lead singer of the seminal punk rock band Black Flag and has a pretty prolific writing and music career today.

 

Lady Gaga: 'Gaga germanotta;' 'Gaga monstraparva' and 'Gagadon minimonstrum'

This fern was named after Lady Gaga "because of her fervent defense of equality and individual expression." (Gaga was born Stefani Germanotta).

Another species in the genus honors Lady Gaga's fans, whom she calls "little monsters." The Gagadon minimonstrum is another Eocene mammal) that refers to Lady Gaga and her fans.

 

Ozzy Osbourne: 'Dendropsophus ozzyi'

A frog was named after British rock singer "Ozzy" Osbourne because its call is high-pitched and batlike.

 

Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits: 'Masiakasaurus knopfleri'

It’s a theropod dinosaur named after Dire Straits singer-songwriter Mark Knopfler. Masiakasaurus is a genus of small predatory theropod dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. In Malagasy, masiaka means "vicious;" thus, the genus name means "vicious lizard."

The Masiakasaurus knopfleri was named after Knopfler, whose music inspired the expedition crew in 2001 led by Scott D. Sampson. Sampson said, "Whenever we played Dire Straits in the quarry, we found more Masiakasaurus, and when we played something else, we didn't." Knopfler replied, "The fact that it's a dinosaur is certainly apt, but I'm happy to report that I'm not in the least bit vicious."

 

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