Insects make up more than half of all living things on the planet, which means that entomologists are constantly discovering new species. And then…naming them after famous people. Apparently. Here are five strange-but-true examples.
1. Baeturia Laureli and Baeturia Hardyi
Photo Courtesy iNaturalist.org/Rui Da Silva Pinto
Type of bug: Cicadas
Named after: Comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy
Why: Because cicadas are hilarious! Fine—not intentionally. But they’re known for being bumbling, clumsy fliers.
2. Scaptia Beyonceae
Photo Courtesy Commons.Wikimedia.org/Erick228
Type of bug: Horsefly
Named after: Beyoncé
Why: Its abdomen is tipped with golden hairs. Basically…it has a butt made of gold.
3. Sicoderus Bautistai
Photo Courtesy Commons.Wikimedia.Org/Robert S. Anderson
Type of bug: Weevil (a kind of long-snouted beetle)
Named after: Former Blue Jays player José Bautista
Why: The baseball-fan scientist wanted to pay tribute to Bautista’s history-making bat flip. (You’re welcome, José.)
4. Bathynomus Vaderi
Photo Courtesy Commons.Wikimedia.Org/Ethmostigmus
Type of bug: Water bug
Named after: Darth Vader
Why: The head of the species—technically an isopod—looks like the Star Wars villain’s helmet.
5. Preseucoila Imallshookupis
Photo Courtesy Matthew L. Buffington
Type of bug: Gall wasp
Named after: Elvis Presley, specifically his 1957 song “I’m All Shook Up”
Why: Unclear. Gall wasps are plant parasites (they lay their egg inside them). Elvis probably didn’t do that.
This article was originally published in the June/July 2025 issue of Cottage Life.
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