A new species of moth with a wingspan of a mere 0.4 inches, beady eyes, golden coifh has been named after the soon-to-be 45th US president.
And ironically, Neopalpa donaldtrumpi‘s native habitat lies between the US and Mexico.
Evolutionary biologist Vazrick Nazari said in a research paper published on ZooKeys that the moth was discovered in 1998 in California, but new specimens discovered south of the border had different features than their cousins and so was determined to be a different species within the Neopalpa genus.
One of the main differences between n. donaldtrumpi and n. neonata is the yellowish-white scales on its head, the scientist noted.
“Its distinctive wing pattern and its unique DNA bar code immediately flagged it as a new and un-described species,” Nazari, a researcher from Ottawa, Canada, told Live Science.
“The specific epithet is selected because of the resemblance of the scales on the frons (head) of the moth to Mr. Trump’s hairstyle,” Nazari said in the research paper.
And he said the hope is that the president-elect will make conservation a top priority — to protect his namesake moth, and all other creatures.
“These ecosystems still contain many undiscovered and un-described species, and deserve to be protected for future generations,” he told the site.
The moth is not the first insect to be named after Trump.
In September, his hairstyle inspired the moniker “Trumpapillar” for the hairy orange-yellow caterpillars of the flannel moth, native to the Peruvian Amazon, NBC News reported.
Meanwhile, some have been trying to bug the commander-in-tweet with the news.
“You know you’ve pissed people off when you’re getting trolled by scientists,” one user wrote.
* New York Post
Follow Us