President Trump is famous for many things, including his head of hair, which is now the inspiration behind the name of a new moth species.
Say hello to Neopalpa donaldtrumpi, a tiny moth baring a striking resemblance to the president thanks to the yellow-white scales on its head.
In an article published in the journal ZooKeys, biologist and researcher Vasrick Nazari explains how the moth got its name.
“The specific epithet is selected because of the resemblance of the scales on the frons (head) of the moth to Mr. Trump’s hairstyle,” the article states.
Neopalpa donaldtrumpi is incredibly small with a wingspan measuring less than a centimeter. Nazari found the moth in borrowed material from the Bohart Museum of Entomology while at the University of California. Scientists confirmed that the new discovery is a second species of a genus of twirler moths.
The moth can be found in Southern California and as far south as Baja California, Mexico.
According to the release by Nazari, he hopes President Trump will take the name with good spirits. He also hopes that the publicity will spark interest with the younger generation who are interested in entomology.
“For a point of fact, as of yet we do not know anything about what Neopalpa donaldtrumpi does for a living: We do not know its host plant, its larval or pupal stages etc. this is something for the next generation of young scientists to discover,” Nazari wrote.
Chamberlain Smith is a freelance writer based in Athens, Georgia.