Thursday 19 January 2017

Newly discovered moth named after Donald Trump

Scientists have named a new species of moth after Donald Trump, U.S. president-elect.

The moth has golden flake hair, similar to Trump’s.

It is officially described as “Neopalpa donaldtrumpi”, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

Vazrick Nazari, an evolutionary biologist from Ottawa said, “with its hair tufts, its presence in U.S. 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.

“By naming this species after the 45th President of the United States, I hope to bring some public attention to the importance of conservation of the fragile habitats in the United States that still contain undescribed and threatened species, and generate interest in the importance of alpha-taxonomy in better understanding the neglected micro-fauna component of the North American biodiversity,” he explained.




“Having a species named after you is almost always an honour, since your name becomes immortal in the scientific literature.

“I am hoping that by appealing to Mr Trump’s good nature, the next administration will make an effort to continue protecting the fragile habitats in the US that are home to as of yet unknown species,” Nazari said.

In November 2016, a pheasant bird that shared Trump’s ‘hairstyle’ became the topic of discussion on the internet after Trump’s election victory.

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