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Scientists Discover A New Orange-Yellow Moth And Name It Donaldtrumpi

donaldtrumpi orange moth

Credits: Wikipedia

A Canadian biologist Vazrick Nazari has recently discovered a species of moth whose ‘hair’ is interestingly similar to that of US President Donald Trump. Due to this similarity, the biologist was tempted to name the insect after the former business mogul.

The biologist first noticed the uncanny resemblance between the moth and the billionaire-turned-President during his sample examination in the Bohart Museum of Entomology. A little while later, Nazari found out that this was a species of moth never documented before, so he got the privilege of naming the insect. The Neopalpa donaldtrumpi is found in southern parts of California and Baja California in Mexico and is under the threat of going extinct.

Credits: Wikipedia

The findings were published in the journal ZooKeys, along with photographs of the new moth and its minute details. The insect is only about 3.6mm to 4mm, which is rather small when compared with an average of its species. The insect is quite different in its external appearance, which includes

‘yellowish-white scales covering the frons of the adult head, and the distinctive orange-yellow coloration of the forewing dorsum’.

Moth’s genitalia is ‘strongly curved’ and has ‘an acute tip.’

 According to Nazari: ‘

The discovery of this distinct micro-moth in the densely populated and otherwise zoologically well-studied southern California underscores the importance of conservation of the fragile habitats that still contain undescribed and threatened species, and highlights the paucity of interest in species-level taxonomy of smaller faunal elements in North America.

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.”

What are your thoughts on the nomenclature for the newly discovered insect? Comment below!

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