Just days before Donald Trump assume office as the 45th President of the United States of America, Dr. Vazrick Nazari decided to name a newly discovered species of moth after the new president-elect.
The new species of moth, described in a paper published in the journal ZooKeys, features yellowish-white scales on its head and small genitalia. Amusingly, the scales have some similarities to Trump's signature hairstyle, adding justification the moth's name.
"With its hair tufts, its presence in US and Mexico, and its fragile habitat that needs conservation, I really did not have any choice with this one other than to name [the moth] after Mr. President-elect himself," Dr. Nazari shared in a report from CNN.
Officially ned as Neopalpa donaldtrumpi, Dr. Nazari, an evolutionary biologist and systematist, hopes that the new species will gather enough fame to point out the dire need for additional conservation efforts for the fragile areas such as the habitat of the new species.
"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," said Dr. Nazari, in a press release.
Dr. Nazari first stumbled across the new moth species while going through some materials borrowed from the Bohart Museum of Entomology, University of California. He observed that some of the specimens did not match any previously known species. Due to this, Dr. Nazari conducted a thorough analysis of the moths using all available materials from different institutions. The analysis confirmed that the moth belonged to a new species of a genus of twirler moths.
At present, the habitat of N. donaldtrumpi found in some parts of California and Baja, Mexico is under serious threat due to urbanization and land use. With his name attached to the moth, the researchers hope that the Trump administration will continue to protect the fragile habitats of yet to be discovered species of animals and insects in the country.