A new species of moth has been named after US president-elect Donald Trump. The yellowish-white scales on its head pose a striking resemblance to Trump’s hairstyle. This has inspired the name Neopalpa donaldtrumpi, said Vazrick Nazari, an evolutionary biologist from Canada.
“The fame around the new moth will successfully point to the critical need for further conservation efforts for fragile areas, such as the habitat of the new species,” said Nazari.
The endangered moth has a wingspan of just 0.4 inches. Its habitat stretches across southern California in the US and Baja California in Mexico. The habitat is under serious threat due to urbanisation.
Nazari discovered the species while examining specimens from the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California.
“It’s distinctive wing pattern and its unique DNA bar code immediately flagged it as a new and undescribed species,” added Nazari.
The Neopalpa donaldtrumpi belong to a genus of twirler moths. Twirler moths have a habit of twirling in circles when disturbed, hence the name.
Their minuscule bodies are off-white, and their wings are brown or grayish-brown. The shapes of certain folds and pouch-like structures on the moth’s genitalia were also unique to the species, wrote Nazari in the study published in the journal ZooKeys.
President Barack Obama has inspired nine species names. These include a coral reef fish from Hawaii, a trapdoor spider and a species of lichen.
“By naming this species after the 45th President of the US, 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,” explained Nazari.
