Rock & Roll Animals: 22 Weird Creatures Named After Superstars
Scientists recently named a new Caribbean fish parasite Gnathia marleyi, after reggae legend Bob Marley. (Pictured at left, inset, is a similar parasite.) As it turns out, Marley isn't the only star to be immortalized forever in the annals of zoology. Check out these other animals who were named after some rock & roll bigwigs – just wait until you see the critter version of the Fab Four.
By Jessica Misener
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Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi (Neil Young, trapdoor spider)
Image Credit: Ebet Roberts/Redferns; Forrest Croce/ECU Marketing Jason Bond, a biology professor at East Carolina University, christened a new species of spider he discovered in 2007 after the "Heart of Gold" singer. "I really enjoy his music and have had a great appreciation of him as an activist for peace and justice," Bond said of Young.
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Scaptia beyonceae (Beyoncé, horse fly)
Image Credit: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images; Bryan Lessard/CSIRO/Rex / Rex USA A species of Australian horse fly named in 2011 after one of pop's curviest stars, this insect has a shiny gold abdomen. You might even say it's bootylicious.
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Orectochilus orbisonorum (Roy Orbison, whirligig beetle)
Image Credit: Tim Roney/Getty Images; Charles Kazilek/Arizona State University Scholars named this beetle that's black on top and white on bottom after the great "Oh, Pretty Woman" singer in 2008. "I have never seen an honor like that," Orbison's widow, Barbara, said at the time.
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Cirolana mercuryi (Freddie Mercury, East African isopod)
Image Credit: Peter Still/Redferns This fine creature is a species of crustacean found off the coast of Zanzibar, a city in Tanzania. Zanzibar, of course, is the birthplace of Farrokh Bulsara, who later took the name Freddie Mercury and fronted a crazy little band called Queen. Isopods have seven pairs of legs, none of which would probably look as good as Freddie’s in a pair of white denim shorts.
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Cryptocercus garciai (Jerry Garcia, wood roach)
Image Credit: Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; Mark Pellegrini (Raul654) Grateful Dead fans used to a different kind of roach might be surprised to know that there’s also an actual insect named after the leader of the original jam band kings. Garcia also has an asteroid named after him, christened by two Deadhead astronomers.
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Macrocarpaea dies-viridis (Green Day, flower)
Image Credit: KMazur/WireImage Green Day's plant gets an honorable mention in this list of rock & roll animals. Harvard researchers bestowed the name "dies-viridis" (Latin for "green day") upon their newly minted species of night-blooming flower after listening to the band while driving throughout Ecuador on their research trips.
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Masiakasaurus knopfleri (Mark Knopfler, small dinosaur)
Image Credit: Bob King/Redferns The paleontologists who discovered this small predatory theropod dinosaur spent a lot of time jamming out to Dire Straits – so they named it after the band's distinctive baritone lead singer. Notable for having its front teeth pointing straight outward rather than down, Masiakasaurus lived in the time before microwave ovens and custom kitchen deliveries, but still probably got its prehistoric money for nothing and its lady dinosaurs for free.
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Pachygnatha zappa (Frank Zappa, spider)
Image Credit: David Redfern/Redferns This spider has a mustache-shaped mark on its abdomen, which makes it look sort of like Zappa's face. Sadly, there isn't much of a soul patch marking to go with it.
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Hyla stingi (Sting, tree frog)
Image Credit: Jeff Fusco/Getty Images This Colombian tree frog was named in recognition of Sting's charitable work for the rain forest.
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Preseucoila imallshookupis (Elvis Presley, gall wasp)
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Gall wasps never had as much swagger as this one. Scientists created a new genus, Preseucoila, based on the name "Presley" – and just to make things extra clear, they named the species after one of the King's signature hits.
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Pseudocorinna brianeno (Brian Eno, Afrotropical spider)
Image Credit: Erica Echenberg/Redferns This arachnid, named by Belgian scientists, reportedly produces one of the most atmospheric and washy synth-filled webs in the world.
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Anacroneuria taylori and Anacroneuria carole (James Taylor and Carole King, insects)
Image Credit: Mike Coppola/FilmMagic Decades after James Taylor and Carole King's first performance together at the Troubador, the singer-songwriters have been immortalized as two closely related species of stoneflies. "You've Got a Friend," indeed.
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Funkotriplogynium iagobadius (James Brown, mite)
Image Credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images In 1997, some mite researchers gave a new species a Latin name that cleverly disguised a tribute to the hardest working man in show business. (Iago = "James," badius = "brown.") It's the funkiest microscopic insect on earth.
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Anomphalus jaggerius (Mick Jagger, fossilized mollusk)
Image Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic This ancient snail was found fossilized between two rocks, mid-rooster strut.
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Perirehaedulus richardsi (Keith Richards, trilobite)
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage Trilobites – an extinct class of sea-living arthropods that died out 250 million years ago – have some of the most rock & roll names in biological history. This species was named after the Rolling Stones' legendary guitarist.
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Avalanchurus simoni and Avalanchurus garfunkeli (Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, trilobites)
Image Credit: GAB Archive/Redferns This pair of extinct trilobite species was named after the great on-again, off-again folk-rock duo.
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The Trilo-Beatles
Image Credit: Harry Hammond/V&A Images/Getty Images 425 million years ago, a less-handsome version of the Fab Four roamed the earth as prehistoric ocean dwellers. Avalanchurus lennoni (John Lennon) and Avalanchurus starri (Ringo Starr) belonged to the same genus as their Simon & Garfunkel-named friends, while Struszia harrisoni (George Harrison) and Struszia mccartneyi (Paul McCartney) came from a different genus. Together, they comprised one of the greatest bands in evolutionary history.
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