New moth species is named after Donald Trump because it shares his hairstyle
The moth is already believed to be endangered because its natural habitat is being lost
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Your support makes all the difference.A new species of moth has been named after US President-elect Donald Trump.
The moth, called Neopalpa donaldtrumpi, lived in a densely population part of southern California and is struggling to cope with the loss of its natural habitat.
The researcher who discovered the new species said he hoped that named it after the 45th US President would boost its profile and the need to conserve fragile environments.
But Dr Vazrick Nazari also said N. donaldtrumpi had markings that were similar to the billionaire Republican’s famous hairstyle.
Writing in the journal ZooKeys, Dr Nazari said: “The new species is named in honour of Donald J Trump, to be installed as the 45th President of the United States on January 20, 2017.
“The reason for this choice of name is to bring wider public attention to the need to continue protecting fragile habitats in the US that still contain many undescribed species.
“The specific epithet is selected because of the resemblance of the scales on the frons (head) of the moth to Mr Trump’s hairstyle.”
He made the discovery while looking through moth specimens kept at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, University of California, Davis.
He noticed some did not match any previously known species and, after a thorough analysis, realised they were a new species.
N. donaldtrumpi is a distinct type of twirler moth, which are believed to be seriously threatened with extinction because of habitat loss.
"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," said DrNazari.
"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.”
The news comes a month after a type of fish was named after President Barack Obama.
The Tosanoides obama is found only on coral reefs in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off Hawaii, a nature reserve which 44th US President expanded to become the largest protected marine area in the world.
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