Taylor Swift would have picked a cat if she had the option to name her after her favorite animal. But she has to settle for a millipede with crooked claws. Nannaria swiftae will be named after her starting today.
This is one of 17 new species in the genus Nannaria that have been discovered in the Appalachian Mountains, USA. Scientists Derek Hennen, Jackson Means, and Paul Marek from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the USA made the discovery and published it in ZooKeys.
Nannaria, also known as crooked claw milipedes or crooked claws, is a group arthropods that have a small body, ranging from 18 to 38mm in length, and dark brown with red, orange, or white spots. Their common name derives from the small, flattened, and twisted claws that the males have on their front legs.
Nannaria swiftae, a crooked-clawed milipede. / Derek Hennen
Although it may seem small, this animal serves a vital role in the ecology. Their function is to decompose, meaning that when they eat (on decomposing leaves), they release nutrients into the ecosystem that can then be used by other animals. This contributes to the food chains. Hennen, the lead author of the study, explained that they also do this almost invisibly.
Scientists suspected that there was a new species of crooked-clawed milipedes due to the presence of these animals within museum collections. Hennen and his team spent many years travelling through 17 US states looking for millipedes beneath leaves, rocks, and logs. Their goal was to collect new specimens and sequence their DNA, and then describe them scientifically.
The 17 new species were discovered by the team of researchers who collected 1,800 specimens from both field samples and museum collections. Why is Nannaria swiftae named? Derek Hennen is a big fan of Taylor Swift and is the lead author of this study. Her music helped me through my graduate studies. He says that naming a new millipede species after her is his way of saying “Thank you.”
Taylor Swift joins a long list of celebrities that have given new names to animals. Former President Barak Obama is the one whose name bears the Spider ‘Aptostichus Barackobamai’. Marilyn Monroe is the actress whose name bears the Trilobite Norasaphus Monroeae’. Charlie Chaplin is the nickname for the Fly ‘Campsicnemius charliechaplini. Frank Zappa has two animals named after him: the spider ’Pachygnatha zappa’ and the jellyfish zappaiaialella zappaiaialella zappaialella zappai zappai zappai zappaialella zappaialella zappai zappai zappai zappi zappai zappai zappai zappai zappa phialella zappa zappa zappa pa zappa zappai pa zappai pai zappai zappai zappai zappai zappai zappai zaffai zappai zappai zappai zappai zappai zapiai zappai zappai zappai zappai zappai zappelai zappai zappai zappai paialella zappai zappai zappai zappai zappai zappa zappai pai zappai zappai zappai zappa zappai pa zappai pai zappai zappi zappai zappai zappai zappeai zappai zappai pai zappai pai zappai zappai z
