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| EXPLORE | ANIMALS
CELEBRITY STATUS
By Catherine Zuckerman
Of the roughly 18,000 new species discovered
each year, a few have a certain
star quality. In 2008, when an orangehaired,
ornately patterned spider
was found in Malaysia, it was named
Heteropoda davidbowie. In 2010 a whale
fossil made a splash when it was dubbed
Leviathan melvillei. There’s a rare Australian
horsefly that goes by Scaptia
beyonceae and a tree frog from Ecuador
called Hyloscirtus princecharlesi.
Scientists have been formally naming
species since the middle of the 18th
century, when Swedish biologist Carl
Linnaeus paved the taxonomic way. His
binomial nomenclature system—still
in use—identifies each distinct organism
using a two-part name: its genus,
or group, name, followed by its specific,
or species, name. Think Homo sapiens.
Today animal species’ names follow
guidelines set by a governing body called
the International Commission on Zoological
Nomenclature. The person who finds
a new species is free to name it, and some
take inspiration from famous figures.
Attaching a celebrity’s name could
benefit an at-risk species or habitat by
drawing attention to it. Naming can also
be simply a science-nerdy form of flattery.
German aracÙologist Peter Jäger
says he named his spider H. davidbowie
for both purposes. “Of course,” he says
of the singer-songwriter, “I’m a big fan.”
SPIDER ODDITY
David Bowie called his
bandmates the Spiders
From Mars—but the real
spider called Heteropoda
davidbowie (above) hails
from Southeast Asia. The
scientist who found the
orange-haired species
named it in 2008 to honor
Bowie (who died in 2016)
and his orange-haired
alter ego, Ziggy Stardust.
ART: HANOCH PIVEN
PHOTO: MARIANNE BROUWER, NATURE IN STOCK