List of organisms named after works of fiction

Newly created taxonomic names in biological nomenclature often reflect the discoverer's interests or honor those the discoverer holds in esteem. This is a list of real organisms with scientific names chosen to reference works of fiction.

Literature[edit | edit source]

Greek mythology[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Antigone antigone (Linnaeus, 1758)	Crane	Antigone of Troy	The species was named after "Antigone, daughter of King Laomedon of Troy, who was metamorphosed into a stork for presuming to compare herself to the goddess Hera. Linnaeus confused this myth with that of Gerana, princess of the pygmies, who was changed into a crane by Hera for committing the same lèse-majesté"	[1]
Saguinus oedipus (Linnaeus, 1758)	New World monkey	Oedipus Rex	"Linnaeus had a penchant for giving primates names derived from mythology, sometimes with little obvious rationale. So he may have named this one after the mythical tragic King of Thebes, who unknowingly married his own mother."	[2]
Pseudoeurycea rex (Dunn, 1921)	Salamander	Oedipus Rex	Species formerly named Oedipus rex	[3]
Oedipodrilus oedipus Holt, 1967	Segmented worm	Oedipus Rex		[4]
Pseudotanais gaiae Jakiel, Palero & Błażewicz, 2019	Tanaid	Gaia	P. gaiae and P. uranos form a pair of sister species.	[5]
Pseudotanais uranos Jakiel, Palero & Błażewicz, 2019	Tanaid	Uranus

William Shakespeare[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Oberonia titania Lindley (1859)	Fairy orchid	Oberon and Titania, A Midsummer Night's Dream		[6]
Sycorax Haliday, 1839	Fly	Sycorax, The Tempest		[7]
Peneothello Mathews, 1920	Australasian robin	Othello, Othello	Named for being almost (pene) black	[8]
Pigrogromitus Calman, 1927	Sea spider	Pigrogromitus, Twelfth Night		[9]
Queubus Barnard, 1946	Sea spider	Queubus, Twelfth Night	"In sooth, we taxonomists are hard put to it to find names, but there have been far worse sources than the nonsense of Will Shakespeare."	[10]
Iago Compagno & Springer, 1971	Houndshark	Iago, Othello	"This shark, a namesake of the villain of Shakespeare's Othello, is a troublemaker for systematists and hence a kind of villain."	[11]
Agra othello Erwin, 2000	Ground beetle	Othello, Othello	The specific name "honors the complicated Shakespearian character whose stage image is a large male singer with a dark complexion. Agra othello is very large, black, and belongs to a formerly complicated species group"	[12]
Perdita desdemona Portman, 2016	Bee	Desdemona, Othello	"The name comes from the character in Shakespeare's Othello."	[13]
Perdita hippolyta Portman, 2016	Bee	Hippolyta, A Midsummer Night's Dream	"The name comes from the character in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream."
Perdita sycorax Portman, 2016	Bee	Sycorax, The Tempest	"The name comes from the unseen character in Shakespeare's The Tempest."
Perdita titania Portman, 2016	Bee	Titania, A Midsummer Night's Dream	"The name comes from the fairy queen Titania in Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The name was chosen due to the beauty and rarity of this species."
†Alfaites romeo Valent, Fatka, & Marek 2019	Hyolith	Romeo, Romeo and Juliet	"The specific epithet 'romeo' refers to the Shakespeare’s protagonist Romeo Montague."	[14]
Pseudotanais julietae Jakiel, Palero & Błażewicz, 2019	Tanaid	Juliet, Romeo and Juliet	P. julietae and P. romeo form a pair of sister species.	[5]
Pseudotanais romeo Jakiel, Palero & Błażewicz, 2019	Tanaid	Romeo, Romeo and Juliet
Synagelides rosalindae Kanesharatnam & Benjamin, 2020	Jumping spider	Rosalind, As You Like It	"The species is named after Rosalind Senior, the heroine of the play As You Like It by William Shakespeare. Generally noted for her resilience, quick wit, and beauty."	[15]
Synagelides orlandoi Kanesharatnam & Benjamin, 2020	Jumping spider	Orlando, As You Like It	"The species is named after Orlando de Bois, who at first sight falls in love with Rosalind. He is brave, chivalrous, tender, modest, smart, strong, handsome and beloved by all. However, he is unable to express his love for Rosalind, before he leaves to the forest of Arden."

Gulliver's Travels[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Salticus lilliputanus Lucas, 1846	Jumping spider	Lilliput		[16]
Holorusia brobdingnagia (Westwood, 1876)	Crane fly	Brobdingnag		[17]
Laputa Whitley, 1930	Filefish	Laputa		[18]
†Balnibarbi Fortey, 1974	Trilobite	Balnibarbi		[19]
Dryadella lilliputiana Cogniaux (1978)	Orchid	Lilliput	"Many of the species names reflect their diminutive stature [...] D. lilliputiana to Gulliver's tiny captors"	[20]
†Laputavis Dyke, 2001	Swift	Laputa		[21]
Viola lilliputana Ballard & Iltis (2012)	Violet	Lilliput	"The specific epithet makes a fanciful reference to the tiny growth form of the new species as 'lilliputian'"	[22]
Peruphorticus gulliveri Erwin & Zamorano, 2014	Ground beetle	Lemuel Gulliver	"We so name this species because of its very large size in comparison to its congeners, reminding us of Gulliver’s travels on the island of Lilliput."	[23]

Victor Hugo[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Stylaclista quasimodo Early, 1980	Wasp	Quasimodo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame	"Stylaclista quasimodo can be recognised by its strongly humped scutellum (hence the name), setation of the head and mesosoma, and the scarcity of setae between the epomia."	[24]
Tetragnatha quasimodo Gillespie, 1992	Long-jawed orb weaver	Quasimodo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame	"The common name of this species is "Humpback Spiny", because of the prominent mid-dorsal peak of the abdomen. The specific epithet, regarded as a noun in apposition, refers to Victor Hugo's 'Hunchback of Notre Dame'."	[25]
Agra eponine Erwin, 2000	Ground beetle	Éponine, Les Misérables	"The specific epithet, eponine, is the name of the unfortunate street urchin in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, who, in the Broadway version of the story, personified tragic beauty. Such is the state of the tropical forests where these beetles live"	[12]
Pseudione quasimodo Boyko & Williams, 2004	Isopod	Quasimodo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame	"The specific name quasimodo is derived from Victor Hugoʼs famous bell-ringer of Notre Dame, most famously portrayed in film by the great Lon Chaney (1883–1930). This appellation is appropriate due to the shape of the female isopod and the bulge it creates in the branchial chamber of the host"	[26]

Moby-Dick[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Daggoo Sime & Wahl, 2002	Wasp	Daggoo	"The genus is named after one of the harpooners in Melville's novel Moby Dick."	[27]
Queequeg Sime & Wahl, 2002	Wasp	Queequeg
Tashtego Sime & Wahl, 2002	Wasp	Tashtego
†Thaleops mobydicki Amati & Westrop, 2004	Trilobite	Moby Dick	"At times, the senior author's analysis of relationships among illaenid trilobites felt like Ahab's pursuit of the Great White Whale."	[28]
Voeltzkowia mobydick (Miralles et al, 2012)	Skink	Moby Dick	"The specific epithet refers to Moby Dick, the famous albino sperm whale imagined by Herman Melville (1851), with whom the new species shares several uncommon characteristics, such as the lack of hindlimbs, the presence of flipper-like forelimbs, highly reduced eyes, and the complete absence of pigmentation"	[29]
†Albicetus oxymycterus Boersma & Pyenson, 2015	Toothed whale	Moby Dick	"Combining the Latin words albus (white) and cetus (whale). The name pays tribute to H. Melville’s classic American novel Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. In the novel, Melville refers to Moby-Dick as “the White Whale”, a creature of “unwonted magnitude” with a “remarkable hue” and “deformed lower jaw”. These traits are coincidentally similar to the type specimen of Albicetus, a white fossil sperm whale whose jaws have been displaced due to diagenetic processes."	[30]
Vrijenhoekia ahabi Summers, Pleijel & Rouse, 2015	Segmented worm	Captain Ahab	"Ahabi is in reference to Herman Melville's Captain Ahab, as both he and this species of worm will go to the ends of the earth to find a whale. This name was a winner of a 'Name a Species' public contest organised by the Birch Aquarium, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, submitted by Andy Fyfe."	[31]

Lewis Carroll[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
†Borogovia gracilicrus Osmólska, 1987	Theropod dinosaur	Borogove, "Jabberwocky"	Named after the "borogove — the name of a fantastic creature from "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll"	[32]
†Hemignathus vorpalis James & Olsen, 2003	Finch	Vorpal blade, "Jabberwocky"	Named "in reference to the long scimitar-like maxillary rostrum of the bird"	[33]

Mark Twain[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Phanuromyia pauper Nesheim and Masner, 2017	Wasp	The Prince and the Pauper	"The name pauper refers to the lack of longitudinal costae on the base of T2."	[34]
Phanuromyia princeps Nesheim and Masner, 2017	Wasp	The Prince and the Pauper	"The name princeps is derived from the prince character in the book The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain in reference to its similarity to P. pauper."

The Adventures of Pinocchio[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Walckenaeria pinocchio (Kaston, 1945)	Spider	Pinocchio	"From all other known species this one can be distinguished by its very long cephalic horn."	[35]
Anchylorhynchus pinocchio De Madeiros & Nunez-Avellaneda, 2013	Weevil	Pinocchio	"Named after the popular fictional character Pinocchio, because of the extremely elongate rostrum as compared to other species of the genus."	[36]
Litoria pinocchio Oliver et al, 2019	Frog	Pinocchio	Males have a "distinct rostral spike" and is named in "reference to Carlo Collodi’s fictional character Pinocchio, who had a nose that became longer when under stress or lying."	[37]

Arthur Conan Doyle[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
†Irritator challengeri Martill, et al, 1996	Theropod dinosaur	Professor Challenger, The Lost World	Named after "Professor Challenger, the fictitious hero and dinosaur discoverer of Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle's [The] Lost World"	[38]
Mandevilla sherlockii L.O.Alvarado & Lozada-Pérez (2017)	Rocktrumpet	Sherlock Holmes	"The name is dedicated to the fictional character Sherlock Holmes [who] reflects much of the work of taxonomists and scientists in general, which is entirely detective work. Additionally, he was conceived as an amateur botanist, mainly interested in plants that can be used as poisons"	[39]

Rudyard Kipling[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Akela Peckham & Peckham, 1896	Jumping spider	Akela, The Jungle Book		[40]
Bagheera kiplingi Peckham & Peckham, 1896	Jumping spider	Bagheera and Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book
Messua Peckham & Peckham, 1896	Jumping spider	Messua, The Jungle Book
Nagaina Peckham & Peckham, 1896	Jumping spider	Nagaina, "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi"

Dracula[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
†Bradycneme draculae Harrison & Walker, 1975	Theropod dinosaur	Count Dracula	"The specific name is derived from the Romanian word dracul meaning evil one." The fossil was discovered in Transylvania, the setting of Bram Stoker's Dracula.	[41]
Dracula vampira Luer (1978)	Orchid	Count Dracula		[42]
Liparis draculoides Greenwood (1982)	Orchid	Count Dracula		[43]
†Desmodus draculae Morgan, Linares and Ray, 1988	Bat	Count Dracula	"The specific epithet of this largest known chiropteran vampire commemorates Count Dracula, the greatest human vampire of folklore"	[44]
Draculoides bramstokeri Harvey & Humphreys, 1995	Whip scorpion	Count Dracula, Bram Stoker	"The generic name alludes to another toothed creature"	[45]
Danionella dracula Britz, Conway & Rüber, 2009	Ray-finned fish	Count Dracula	"The species name dracula alludes to the long tooth-like fangs in the jaws in males of the new species and was inspired by Count Dracula in Bram Stoker's novel."	[46]
†Deinocroton draculi Peñalver, et al, 2017	Tick	Count Dracula	"Patronym for the main character of the gothic horror novel by Irish writer Abraham “Bram” Stoker, which is a fictionalised account of Vlad III, or Vlad Dracula"	[47]
†Supraserphites draculi Rasnitsyn & Öhm-Kühnle, 2019	Wasp	Count Dracula	"Species name derived from dracul, Romanian for devil, and the literary figure Count Dracula"	[48]
Patrera dracula Martínez, Brescovit, Villarreal & Oliveira, 2021	Spider	Count Dracula	"The epithet in apposition referring to the mythological vampire Dracula, alluding to the large chelicerae, which resemble Dracula's fangs."	[49]

H. P. Lovecraft[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Pimoa cthulhu Hormiga, 1994	Spider	Cthulhu	"Named after H.P. Lovecraft's mythological deity Cthulhu, akin to the powers of Chaos"	[50]
†Millerocaulis tekelili Vera (2012)	Fern	"Tekeli-li"	"The specific epithet derives from the word Tekeli-li, pronounced by fictional Antarctic inhabitants in the book 'The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket' by Edgar [Allan] Poe and in the book 'At the [M]ountains of [M]adness' by Howard Phillip Lovecraft.	[51]
Nanocthulhu lovecrafti Buffington, 2012	Wasp	Cthulhu, H. P. Lovecraft	"Cthulhu's [sic] is described as having 'a pulpy, tentacled head,' and the clypeal fuscina described herein is reminiscent of Cthulhu's head"	[52]
Cthulhu macrofasciculumque James & Keeling, 2012	Parabasalid	Cthulhu	"The tentacle-headed appearance given by the coordinated beat pattern of the anterior flagellar bundle of Cthulhu cells is reminiscent of this demon"	[53]
Cthylla microfasciculumque James & Keeling, 2012	Parabasalid	Cthylla	Cthylla "was the secret daughter of Cthulhu [...] It is here named as a smaller and simpler relative of the parabasalian genus Cthulhu"
Ochyrocera atlachnacha Brescovit et al, 2018	Spider	Atlach-Nacha	The specific name "refers to Atlach-Nacha, a supernatural entity from Cthulhu mythology that resembles a huge spider with an almost human face"	[54]
Yogsothoth Shishkin & Zlatogursky, 2018	Centrohelid	Yog-Sothoth	Yog-Sothoth "was described as a conglomeration of glowing spheres." The genus is in the family Yogsothothidae.	[55]
†Sollasina cthulhu Rahman et al, 2019	Echinoderm	Cthulhu mythos	"Named for the Cthulhu mythos of H. P. Lovecraft, a fictional universe populated with bizarre tentacled monsters"	[56]

Winnie-the-Pooh[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Eeyorius hutchinsi Paulin, 1986	Ray-finned fish	Eeyore	"Named for Eeyore, a literary character who lived in damp places."	[57]
Potamalpheops tigger Yeo & Ng, 1997	Shrimp	Tigger	Named after Tigger to reference "the bold striped appearance of freshly caught live specimens."	[58]

Vladimir Nabokov[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Pseudolucia aureliana Bálint & Johnson, 1993	Butterfly	"The Aurelian"	"Named from Nabokov's short story 'The Aurelian' in which a devoted butterfly collector is unable to fulfill his dream of journeying to the tropics."	[59]
Pseudolucia charlotte Bálint & Johnson, 1993	Butterfly	Charlotte Haze, Lolita	"Named for 'Charlotte Haze' Lolita's mother in Nabokov's novel Lolita."
Pseudolucia clarea Bálint & Johnson, 1993	Butterfly	Charlotte Haze, Lolita	"Named for 'Clare Quilty', the rival of Lolita's paramour 'Humbert' in Nabokov's novel Lolita."
Pseudolucia hazeorum Bálint & Johnson, 1993	Butterfly	Haze family, Lolita	"A double meaning, the denotative of 'haze' referring to the dark wing bands characterizing the species, but signifying also Nabokov's characters of the Haze family in Lolita-- the infamous Lolita and her mother Charlotte."
Pseudolucia zembla Bálint & Johnson, 1993	Butterfly	Zembla, Pale Fire	"Named for the mythical kingdom 'Zembla' claimed to have been ruled by Nabokov's character Kinbote in the novel Pale Fire."
Itylos pnin Bálint, 1993	Butterfly	Timofey Pavlovich Pnin, Pnin	The species is "named for the Russian emigre professor in Nabokov's novel Pnin."	[60]
Madeleinea lolita Bálint, 1993	Butterfly	Lolita	"Named for 'Lolita', the nickname of the Nabokov's best-known character— the pre-teen nymphet Dolores in the well-known novel Lolita."
Madeleinea mashenka Bálint, 1993	Butterfly	Mashen'ka, the Russian title of Mary	"'Mashenka' (Mary) was the title of the first novel published by Nabokov in Russian."
Paralycaeides shade Bálint, 1993	Butterfly	John Shade, Pale Fire	The species is "named for 'John Shade', the imaginary New England poet and author of Nabokov's Pale Fire."
Nabokovia ada Bálint & Johnson, 1994	Butterfly	Ada Veen, Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle		[61]
Madeleinea cobaltana Bálint & Lamas, 1994	Butterfly	Kobaltana, Pale Fire		[62]
Madeleinea nodo Bálint & Johnson, 1994	Butterfly	Nodo, Pale Fire	"Named for 'Nodo', half-brother of Odon, signifying the sister relationship with M. odon and the fact that, of the two, 'Nodo' occurs geographically to the [no]rth."	[63]
Madeleinea odon Bálint & Johnson, 1994	Butterfly	Odon, Pale Fire	"Named for 'Odon', half brother of Nodo and further suggesting the interesting diversity of the koa Species Group."
Madeleinea tintarrona Bálint & Johnson, 1994	Butterfly	Tintarron, Pale Fire	"From Nabokov's 'Tintarron', a precious deep blue glass made in the mountains of Zembla, here referring to the dorsal ground color of this species"
Leptotes krug Bálint et al, 1995	Butterfly	Adam Krug, Bend Sinister	Named for "the 'unfortunate professor' Krug in Vladimir Nabokov's novel Bend Sinister [...] 'krug' also means 'circle' in Russian. [The] ventral maculation in this genus includes circles or ellipses of white which enclose patches of brown ground color."	[64]
Leptotes delalande Bálint et al, 1995	Butterfly	Pierre Delalande, Invitation to a Beheading	"Named for 'Delalande', a philosopher invented by Nabokov as his alter-ego, here reflecting the sister relationship of this new species with L. lamasi."
Pseudolucia humbert Bálint & Johnson, 1995	Butterfly	"Humbert Humbert", Lolita	"Named from Humbert, a central character in Nabokov's novel Lolita. We refrain here from adding the genitive 'i' since the character was imaginary and obviously masculine."	[65]
Pseudolucia zina Benyamini, Bálint & Johnson, 1995	Butterfly	Zina Mertz, The Gift	"Zina is perhaps the closest Nabokov came to placing his own wife, Vera, into his fictions. In brief, Zina is the most ideal of all Nabokov's female characters."	[66]
Patalycaeides hazelea Bálint and Johnson, 1995	Butterfly	Hazel Shade, Pale Fire	"[T]he name is after Shade's daughter Hazel, in Nabokov's Pale Fire, whose suicide is at [the] center of Shade's poem and who turns up, after her death and just before Shade's, in the form of a butterfly. "	[67]
Madeleinea ardisensis Bálint & Lamas, 1996	Butterfly	Ardis Hall, Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle		[68]
Plebejus ardis Bálint & Johnson, 1997	Butterfly	Ardis Hall, Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle	"Dr. Proffer notes that 'Ardis' was the name of the great estate ('Ardis Hall') in Nabokov’s novel Ada, where Van and Ada (Nabokov’s only lepidopterist heroine) began their life-long love affair."	[69]
Plebejus pilgram Bálint & Johnson, 1997	Butterfly	Paul Pilgram, "The Aurelian"	Dr. Simon Karlinsk: "'Pilgram' was the protagonist in Nabokov's story 'The Aurelian' The German owner of a butterfly shop, he dreamed all his life of hunting butterflies in exotic locales but, as he was about to realize his dreams, died of a heart attack."
Plebejus pilgram Bálint & Lamas, 1998	Butterfly	Mira Belochkin, Pnin	"Gayla Diment [...] proposed 'Mira', the first name of Pnin's beloved who died in a Nazi camp. It is fitting that a butterfly, often representing the human soul, should bear her name."	[70]
Plebejus fyodor Hsu, Bálint & Johnson, 2000	Butterfly	Fyodor Godunov-Cherdyntsev, The Gift	"Fyodor narrates Nabokov's novel The Gift, a record of his love of Russian literature, his lepidopterist father, butterflies, and a young woman named Zina."	[71]
Humbert humberti Sime & Wahl, 2002	Wasp	"Humbert Humbert", Lolita	"The genus is after the hapless Humbert Humbert of Nabokov's novel, Lolita"	[27]

J. R. R. Tolkien[edit | edit source]

Enid Blyton[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Cavisternum bom Ranasinghe & Benjamin, 2018	Goblin spider	Bom, "The Goblins Looking-Glass"	"This specific name is a noun in apposition named after 'Bom' a magnificent goblin in the story of 'The Goblins Looking-Glass' by Enid Blyton (1947)."	[72]
Pelicinus tumpy Ranasinghe & Benjamin, 2018	Goblin spider	Tumpy, "The Goblins Looking-Glass"	"This species is a noun in apposition named after 'Tumpy' a little goblin in the story, The Goblins Looking-Glass by Blyton (1947)."
Pelicinus snooky Ranasinghe & Benjamin, 2018	Goblin spider	Snooky, "The Firework Goblins"	"This species a noun in apposition named after 'Snooky' a goblin and a main character in the story 'The Firework Goblins' written by Blyton in 1971."
Ischnothyreus chippy Ranasinghe & Benjamin, 2018	Goblin spider	Chippy, "Billy's Little Boats"	"This species name is a noun in apposition named after 'Chippy' a brownie and one of the characters in the story 'Billy's Little Boats' by Blyton (1971). Brownies possess queer little pointed feet like goblins."
Silhouettella snippy Ranasinghe & Benjamin, 2018	Goblin spider	Snippy, "Billy's Little Boats"	"This species is a noun in apposition named after 'Snippy' a brownie and one of the characters in the story 'Billy's Little Boats' by Blyton in 1971."
Silhouettella tiggy Ranasinghe & Benjamin, 2018	Goblin spider	Tiggy, "Billy's Little Boats"	"This species is a noun in apposition named after “Tiggy” a brownie and one of the characters in the story 'Billy's Little Boats' by Blyton in 1971."

Aubrey–Maturin series[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Ledermanniella maturiniana Beentje (2005)	Riverweed	Stephen Maturin		[73]
Theognete maturini Anderson, 2010	Weevil	Stephen Maturin	"The dedication was arranged through a donation to Nature Discovery Fund of the Canadian Museum of Nature by The Gunroom of HMSSurprise.org."	[74][75]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Erechthias beeblebroxi Robinson & Nelson, 1993	Moth	Zaphod Beeblebrox		[76]
Bidenichthys beeblebroxi Paulin, 1995	Viviparous brotula fish	Zaphod Beeblebrox	"Named for Zaphod Beeblebrox, President of the Galaxy in The [Hitchhiker's] Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams."	[77]
Fiordichthys slartibartfasti Paulin, 1995	Viviparous brotula fish	Slartibartfast	"Named for Slartibartfast, designer of fiords in The [Hitchhiker's] Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams."
†Babelichthys Davesne, 2017	Crestfish	Babelfish	Named after the "teleost-like, ear-dwelling, polyglot" Babel Fish "in reference to the very peculiar, almost alien-like, appearance of the genus."	[78]

Discworld[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
†Czekanowskia anguae Watson et al, 2001	Gymnosperm	Angua von Überwald	"In tribute to the author Terry Pratchett OBE, all the new fossil plant species diagnosed and described in this paper are named for fictional characters who appear in his series of Discworld novels."	[79]
†Ginkgoites weatherwaxiae Watson et al, 2001	Ginkgo	Granny Weatherwax
†Ginkgoites nannyoggiae Watson et al, 2001	Ginkgo	Nanny Ogg
†Ginkgoites garlickianus Watson et al, 2001	Ginkgo	Magrat Garlick
†Phoenicopsis rincewindii Watson et al, 2001	Gymnosperm	Rincewind
†Pseudotorellia vimesiana Watson et al, 2001	Conifer	Sam Vimes
†Sciadopityoides greeboana Watson et al, 2001	Gymnosperm	Greebo, Nanny Ogg's cat
†Sulcatocladus dibbleri Watson et al, 2001	Conifer	C.M.O.T. Dibbler
†Torreyites detriti Watson et al, 2001	Conifer	Detritus
Apseudes atuini Bamber, 2005	Crustacean	Great A'Tuin		[80]
Bathytanais greebo Bamber, 2005	Crustacean	Greebo, Nanny Ogg's cat		[81]
Tanaella dongo Bamber, 2005	Crustacean	Crocodile Dongo		[82]
Aleiodes achingae Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Tiffany Aching		[83]
Aleiodes adorabelleae Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Adora Belle Dearheart
Aleiodes anguaae Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Angua von Überwald
Aleiodes atuin Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Great A'Tuin
Aleiodes binkyi Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Binky, Death's horse
Aleiodes conina Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Conina
Aleiodes deathi Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Edward d'Eath
Aleiodes deyoyoi Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Kompt de Yoyo
Aleiodes downeyi Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Lord Downey
Aleiodes flannelfooti Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Zlorf Flannelfoot	"Named after the assassin character Zlorf Flannelfoot in the Terry Pratchett Discworld novel and in allusion to the pectinate claws."
Aleiodes gaspodei Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Gaspode the Wonder Dog
Aleiodes herrena Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Herrena
Aleiodes lavaeolous Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Lavaeolous
Aleiodes liessa Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Liessa Wyrmbidder
Aleiodes lipwigi Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Moist von Lipwig
Aleiodes lipwigduplicitus Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Moist von Lipwig	"In reference to the duplicitous nature of the character Mr Lipwig in the Terry Pratchett Discworld novel Going Postal and hence it’s easy confusion with A. lipwigi"
Aleiodes magratae Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Magrat Garlick
Aleiodes malichi Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Alberto Malich
Aleiodes mericeti Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Mericet
Aleiodes morti Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Mort
Aleiodes nivori Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Grunworth Nivor
Aleiodes ponderi Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Ponder Stibbons	"Named after the character Ponder Stibbons from the Terry Pratchett Discworld novels, and a pun on 'to ponder'."
Aleiodes prillae Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Lady Prill
Aleiodes pteppicymoni Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Pteppicymon XXVIII	"Named after the assassin character 'His Greatness the King Pteppicymon XXVIII, Lord of the Heavens …' from the Terry Pratchett Discworld novel, in reference to lethal parasitoid biology of the wasp."
Aleiodes ptraci Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Ptraci I
Aleiodes ridcullyi Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Mustrum Ridcully
Aleiodes rincewindi Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Rincewind
Aleiodes sacharissa Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Sacharissa Cripslock
Aleiodes selachiii Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Robert Selachii
Aleiodes stibbonsi Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Ponder Stibbons
Aleiodes stohelit Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Susan Sto-Helit
Aleiodes teatimei Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Jonathan Teatime
Aleiodes tmaliaae Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	T'malia
Aleiodes vetinarii Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Havelock Vetinari
Periclimenes rincewindi De Grave, 2014	Shrimp	Rincewind	"Rincewind is a fictional wizard in several Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett, who is well known for his ability to blend in with any situation, despite his penchant for colourful clothing."	[84]
Dimophora rhysi Klopfstein, 2016	Wasp	Rhys Rhysson	"This particularly small Dimophora species is named after the Low King of the dwarfs, Rhys Rhysson, from the late Terry Pratchett’s novel 'The Fifth Elephant', and is dedicated to its inventor and father of the Discworld series. He will be sorely missed."	[85]
Pristomerus fourecksensis Klopfstein, 2016	Wasp	Fourecks	"This name refers to the continent 'Fourecks' in the discworld novel by the late Terry Pratchett. Fourecks has many similarities with Australia, and the name is most probably based on the XXXX beer from Queensland."	[86]

The Witcher[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Pseudotanais geralti Jakiel, Palero & Błażewicz, 2019	Tanaid	Geralt of Rivia	P. geralti and P. yenneferae form a pair of sister species.	[5]
Pseudotanais yenneferae Jakiel, Palero & Błażewicz, 2019	Tanaid	Yennefer of Vengerberg

A Song of Ice and Fire[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Laelius arryni Azevedo & Barbosa, 2014	Wasp	House Arryn	"The specific epithets of all new species are derived from some families of the book 'A Song of Ice and Fire, [A] Game of Thrones'" by George R. R. Martin	[87]
Laelius baratheoni Azevedo & Barbosa, 2014	Wasp	House Baratheon
Laelius lannisteri Azevedo & Barbosa, 2014	Wasp	House Lannister
Laelius martelli Azevedo & Barbosa, 2014	Wasp	House Martell
Laelius targaryeni Azevedo & Barbosa, 2014	Wasp	House Targaryen
Laelius tullyi Azevedo & Barbosa, 2014	Wasp	House Tully
Laelius starki Azevedo & Barbosa, 2014	Wasp	House Stark
Marianina khaleesi (Silva, Azevedo & Matthews-Cascon, 2014)	Sea slug	Khaleesi, title of Daenerys Targaryen	Daenerys "is described as being short and having long white hair, features that resemble the white band on the notum" of the species	[88]
Pheidole drogon Sarnat, Fischer & Economo, 2016	Ant	Drogon	"The species name refers to Drogon, the black-colored dragon of Daenerys Targaryen"	[89]
Pheidole viserion Sarnat, Fischer & Economo, 2016	Ant	Viserion	"The species name refers to Viserion, the cream and gold colored dragon of Daenerys Targaryen"
Eadya daenerys Ridenbaugh, 2018	Wasp	Daenerys Targaryen	"This species is named for Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains"	[90]
Ochyrocera varys Brescovit et al, 2018	Spider	Varys	"Lorde Varys is a character with a venomous spirit, known as a spider in the plot."	[54]
Paramonovius nightking Li & Yeates, 2018	Bee fly	Night King	"This species is named after the Night King in the American fantasy drama Game of Thrones, because all the specimens were collected in winter and the fly is mostly covered in thick pale pruinescence." Also, the fly, like the fictional villain, turns its victims into zombies.	[91]
Abyssarya Bonifácio & Menot, 2018	Segmented worm	Arya Stark	"This genus is dedicated to Arya Stark, one of P.B.’s favourite characters in the novel 'A song of ice and fire' by George R. R. Martin. The name is composed by 'abyss' from the Latin word 'ăbyssus' meaning 'bottomless' and Arya."	[92]
Hodor Bonifácio & Menot, 2018	Segmented worm	Hodor	"This genus is dedicated to Hodor, one of P.B.’s favourite characters in the novel 'A song of ice and fire' by George R. R. Martin."
Gymnetis drogoni Ratcliffe, 2019	Scarab beetle	Drogon		[93]
Gymnetis rhaegali Ratcliffe, 2019	Scarab beetle	Rhaegal
Gymnetis viserioni Ratcliffe, 2019	Scarab beetle	Viserion

Harry Potter[edit | edit source]

Rumo and His Miraculous Adventure[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Tetramorium rumo Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2014	Ant	Rumo	"The new species is named after the fictional character 'Rumo' from Walter Moers' fantasy novel 'Rumo and His Miraculous Adventures'. Tetramorium rumo is a very bright species, almost white, with distinct propodeal spines reminiscent of 'Rumo', who is a white wolperting with short but acute horns."	[94]
Tetramorium rala Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2014	Ant	Rala	"The new species is named after the fictional character 'Rala' from Walter Moers' fantasy novel 'Rumo and His Miraculous Adventures'."

Other literature[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
†Ophiodon ozymandias (Jordan, 1907)	Ray-finned fish	"Ozymandias", Percy Bysshe Shelley	"The generic name refers to the heroic giant noticed by Shelley, of whom nothing is known save the feet of his gigantic statue in the desert." The species has been renamed with Ozymandias as the specific name.	[95]
Paramphientomum yumyum Enderlein, 1907	Barklouse	Yum-Yum, The Mikado	The species is native to Japan, the setting of The Mikado.	[96]
Grendelius McGowan, 1976	Ichthyosaur	Grendel, Beowulf	Named after "Grendel [...] a legendary creature from the Old English epic, Beowulf"	[97]
Morlockia Garcia-Valdecasas, 1984	Crustacean	Morlocks, The Time Machine	"H. J. Wells described in 'The Time Machine' the Morlocks as inhabitants of the interior of the earth. They had lost their eyes and showed other adaptations to subterranean life."	[98]
Gargantuavis philoinos Buffetaut & Le Loeuff, 1998	Bird	Gargantua, Gargantua and Pantagruel	"[The] generic name from Gargantua, the giant of French folklore made famous by François Rabelais, and avis, Latin for bird"	[99]
Agra ichabod Erwin, 2002	Ground beetle	Ichabod Crane, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"	"The specific epithet, ichabod [...] refers to the fact that the Holotype is missing its head and the illusion is that of the frightened Schoolteacher Ichabod Crane's phantom nemesis, the Headless Horseman, in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow [by] Washington Irving, published in 1819"	[100]
Micropholcus evaluna (Huber, Pérez & Baptista, 2005)	Cellar spider	Eva Luna, Eva Luna and The Stories of Eva Luna	A Venezuelan species "Named for Isabel Allende’s Venezuela-born protagonist and fantastic story-teller." Originally described as Leptopholcus evaluna, and subsequently transferred to Micropholcus.	[101][102]
Ituglanis macunaima Datovo & Landim, 2005	Catfish	Macunaíma	"From the modernist Brazilian masterpiece by Mário de Andrade – "Macunaíma: o herói sem nenhum caráter" – meaning the hero without any character, in reference of the absence of any exclusive (taxonomic) character for the new species. Mário de Andrade's Macunaíma was based in folk Amazonian indian myth, and also presents infantile features, in allusion to the paedomorphic characters of the new species."	[103]
Wukongopterus lii Wang et al, 2009	Pterosaur	Sun Wukong, Journey to the West	"Wukongopterus, from Sun Wukong (the Monkey King), one of the most famous and beloved fictional characters of the classical Chinese literature "Journey to the West", and pterus from the Greek meaning wing."	[104]
Calumma tarzan Gehring et al, 2010	Chameleon	Tarzan	"[W]e dedicate the new species to the fictional forest man 'Tarzan' in the hope that this famous name will promote awareness and conservation activities for this apparently highly threatened new species and its habitats, in the mid-altitude rainforest."	[105]
Aleiodes dresdeni Butcher et al, 2012	Wasp	Harry Dresden, The Dresden Files	"Named after the wizard character, Harry Dresden, from the Jim Butcher novels."	[83]
Oileus gasparilomi Cano & Schuster, 2012	Bess beetle	Gaspar Ilóm, Men of Maize	"Named after Gaspar Ilóm, a native hero of the novel 'Men of Maize' by Miguel Ángel Asturias. The collection locality is called 'mountains of Ilóm'."	[106]
†Millerocaulis tekelili Vera (2012)	Fern	"Tekeli-li", The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket	"The specific epithet derives from the word Tekeli-li, pronounced by fictional Antarctic inhabitants in the book 'The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket' by Edgar [Allan] Poe and in the book 'At the [M]ountains of [M]adness' by Howard Phillip Lovecraft.	[51]
Magelona sinbadi Mortimer, Cassà, Martin & Gil, 2012	Segmented worm	Sinbad the Sailor	"From the name Sinbad, the fictional sailor with Persian origins, referring to the region in which this species was first sampled."	[107]
Calochaete cimrmanii Hauer, Bohunická & Mühlsteinová, 2013	Cyanobacteria	Jára Cimrman	"The species is named after the mythical Czech scientist, dramatist, poet, and writer Jára Cimrman."	[108]
Tinkerbella nana Huber & Noyes, 2013	Fairyfly	Tinker Bell and Nana, Peter and Wendy	"After the fairy Tinker Bell in the 1904 play 'Peter Pan' by J.M. Barrie [and] the dog Nana in Peter Pan and coincidentally from nanos, the Greek word for dwarf."	[109]
Simlops jamesbondi Bonaldo et al, 2014	Goblin spider	James Bond	"The species is named after the famous fictional character James Bond because its provisory name in the PBI database, CR007, included Bond’s code number (007)."	[110]
Hyorhinomys stuempkei Esselstyn et al, 2015	True mouse	Harald Stümpke, The Snouters: Form and Life of the Rhinogrades	"The species is named in honor of Gerolf Steiner, who used the pseudonym Harald Stümpke, to publish a small book (Bau und Leben der Rhinogradentia) commonly known in English as The Snouters (Stümpke 1967). The Snouters describes a fictional island radiation of mammals with extraordinary nasal and aural adaptations and seemingly anticipates the discovery of H. stuempkei, with its large pink nose and long pinnae."	[111]
Solanum watneyi Martine & Frawley	Bush tomato	Mark Watney, The Martian	"The specific epithet of "watneyi" is inspired by the book and film, The Martian, in which the protagonist finds himself stranded on Mars surrounded by the planet’s harsh terrain and reddish soils. In a shelter, he manages to grow a crop of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) before finally being rescued by his astronaut colleagues. We’ve chosen to name Solanum watneyi after this character, Mark Watney, in part because of the similarly reddish soils of its habitat and the congeneric nature of the potato – but, most notably, as a way to honor the creation of a sci-fi hero botanist by author Andy Weir and to acknowledge perhaps the finest paean to botanical science (and botanical field work) that Hollywood has yet presented."	[112]
†Aquilonifer spinosus Briggs et al, 2016	Arthropod	The Kite Runner	"The name of the new taxon refers to the fancied resemblance between the tethered individuals and kites, and echoes the title of the 2003 novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (aquila, eagle or kite; -fer, suffix meaning carry; thus aquilonifer, kite bearer)"	[113]
"Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator" Chivian et al, 2008	Bacteria	"Audax viator", Journey to the Center of the Earth	"[I]n Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth, in a message [...] deciphered by Verne's protagonist, Professor Lidenbrock, which reads in part, 'descende, Audax viator, et terrestre centrum attinges.' It means 'descend, Bold traveler, and attain the center of the Earth.'"	[114][115]
Ochyrocera charlotte Brescovit et al, 2018	Spider	Charlotte, Charlotte's Web	"The specific name refers to Charlotte, the spider from the classic 'Charlotte's Web' by E.B. White and a great friend of the pig named Wilbur."	[54]
Ochyrocera misspider Brescovit et al, 2018	Spider	Little Miss Spider	"The specific name refers to Little Miss Spider, a very popular spider around the world and the main character of the children’s books by David Kirk."
†Buratina truncata Khramov, 2019	Spongefly	Buratino	"Genus named after Buratina, a long-nosed character of the science fiction novel by Michael Kharitonov."	[116]
Mischocyttarus kallindusfloren Borges & Silveira, 2019	Wasp	Kalinda, Neverness	"The specific epithet is a reference made to the computational goddess Kalinda of the flowers, created by the mathematician David Zindell in his book Neverness."
Coptoborus katniss Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games	"The apex of the elytra declivity of this species is shaped like an arrowhead, Katniss' weapon of choice."	[117]
Pseudotanais rapunzelae Błażewicz, Jakiel, Bamber & Bird, 2021	Tanaid	Rapunzel	"Rapunzel is a princess in a Brothers Grimm fairy tale who, imprisoned in a high tower, offered to let down her long hair so that her lover could climb up to her. This alludes to the unusually long dorsodistal seta on pereopods 5 and 6."	[118]
Lycosa gesserit Steinpress et al, 2022	Wolf spider	Bene Gesserit, Dune	"Species named after the order of Bene Gesserit, from Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, Dune."	[119]

Comics[edit | edit source]

The Adventures of Tintin[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Scelio dupondi Yoder, 2014	Wasp	Dupont and Dupond, original French names	Named for the close similarity of the sister species, just as the "two [twins] were always being confused with one another"	[120]
Scelio janseni Yoder, 2014	Wasp	Jansen and Janssen, translated Dutch names
Chaleponcus tintin Enghoff, 2014	Millipede	Tintin	The specific epithet "refers to a cartoon character developed by the Belgian author Hergé because of the (somewhat remote) resemblance of the shape of the gonopod cucullus to Tintin’s hairstyle."	[121]

Asterix[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Stichoplastoris asterix (Valerio, 1980)	Tarantula	Asterix		[122]
Stichoplastoris obelix (Valerio, 1980)	Tarantula	Obelix
Ordralfabetix Szwedo & Jacek, 2011	Planthopper	Ordralfabétix	"Genus named after a character from the 'Asterix the Gaul' comic books series."
Nemesia asterix Decae & Huber, 2017	Trapdoor spider	Asterix	"The trivial name asterix is derived from the Greek asteriskos meaning 'small star' and refers to the size and shape of the trapdoor that the species constructs. The spelling of the name is taken from the name of the fictional hero and star in the French comic book Asterix le Gaul 1959, by R. Goscinny & A. Uderzo."	[123]
†Bela falbalae Ceulemans, Van Dingenen & Landau, 2018	Sea snail	Panacea (Falbala in the original French)	A fossil species from the Pliocene of western France, with a slender high spired shell, "Named after Falbala, the beautiful, tall, slender girl in the 'Asterix' comics."	[124]
†Ondina asterixi Ceulemans, Van Dingenen & Landau, 2018	Sea snail	Asterix	A fossil species from the Pliocene of western France, "Named after the heroic comic character Asterix, [...] the valiant Gaul who resisted Julius Caesar from an unnamed village set not far from the study area."
†Payraudeautia obelixi Landau, Ceulemans & Van Dingenen, 2018	Sea snail	Obelix	A fossil species from the Miocene of western France, "Named after the heroic comic character Obelix, [...] the valiant Gaul who resisted Julius Caesar from an unnamed village set not far from the study area. Obelix is a rotund character, reminiscent of the shape of this new species."	[125]
Trigonopterus asterix Riedel, 2019	Weevil	Asterix		[126]
Trigonopterus idefix Riedel, 2019	Weevil	Dogmatix (Idéfix in the original French)
Trigonopterus obelix Riedel, 2019	Weevil	Obelix

DC Comics[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Otocinclus batmani Lehmann A., 2006	Catfish	Batman	Named for having a "bat-shaped vertical spot on [its] caudal-fin"	[127]
Euragallia batmani Rodrigues, Goncalves & Mejdalani, 2012	Leafhopper	Batman	"The specific epithet, batmani, is a reference to the dorsal region of the aedeagal base in dorsal view, which closely resembles the open wings of a bat, like those of the Batman symbol."	[128]
†Kalelia Pérez & del Río, 2017	Clam	Kal-El, the Kryptonian name of Superman		[129]
Trissolcus nycteridaner Talamas, 2017	Wasp	Batman	"Like Batman, species of Trissolcus are dark in color, rarely seen by the public, kill bad guys (stink bugs) for the benefit of humankind, and are at times unfairly vilified on the basis of their name (parasitic wasp). The epithet derives from the Greek words 'nycteris,' meaning 'bat', and 'aner,' meaning 'man'"	[130]
Anthracites furvuseques Tan, Baroga-Barbecho & Yap, 2018	Katydid	Batman	"The species name refers to the Dark Knight (in Latin; dark = furvus, knight = eques). This species is named after the fictional superhero character Batman in the Dark Knight Trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan. The species’ black colouration resembles the dark suit of the vigilante while the titillators also shows certain resemblance to the iconic Batman mask and logo in the film."	[131]
Biconcavus batmani Figuerola, Gordon & Cristobo, 2018	Bryozoan	Batman	"Alluding to 'Batman', a fictional superhero of comic books and movies, alluding to the distal oral rim bearing lateral stout tubercles which resemble a Batman mask."	[132]
†Kariridraco dianae Cerqueira et al, 2021	Pterosaur	Diana Prince, the civilian identity of Wonder Woman		[133]
Agamopus joker Costa-Silva & Carvalho & Vaz-De, 2022	Scarab beetle	The Joker	"The specific name 'joker' [...] is an eponym after the homonymous supervillain from the DC Comics Universe. It is a reference to the sinuous pygidial sulcus of this species, which resembles the shape of a smiley clown’s mouth."	[134]

Marvel Comics[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
†Medusaceratops lokii Ryan, Russell & Hartman, 2010	Ceratopsian dinosaur	Loki	Loki has a "helmet with [...] two giant hooks that come out of the top"	[135][136]
Ogdoconta satana Metzler, Knudson & Poole, 2013	Moth	Satana	"The scientific name satana comes from the Marvel comic book fictional character Satana, a child of Satan and sinister character, who taught black magic. The name refers to the black (often equated with evil) color of the adult moth."	[137]
Bromeloecia wolverinei Yau & Marshall, 2018	Fly	Wolverine	"This species is named for the group of 3 heavily sclerotized, flattened setae on the ventral surface of the surstylus, which closely resembles the claws and fist of the comic book character 'Wolverine'."	[138]
Otiothops doctorstrange Cala-Riquelme et al, 2018	Spider	Doctor Strange	"The specific epithet is a noun in apposition referring to the Marvel comics 'Doctor Strange' created by artist Steve Ditko and writer Stan Lee in 1963."	[139]
†Thanos simonattoi Delcourt & Iori, 2018	Theropod dinosaur	Thanos	"Genus name from the Greek thánato, meaning death and from the Marvel's [sic] character Thanos, the Conquer, created by Jim Starlin"	[140]
Cirrhilabrus wakanda Tea, et al, 2019	Wrasse	Wakanda	It was given the common name "Vibranium fairy wrasse" as the "purple chain-link scale pattern of the new species is reminiscent of" the fictional metal Vibranium.	[141]
Discothyrea wakanda Hita Garcia & Lieberman, 2019	Ant	Wakanda	"The new species is endemic to the Rwenzori Mountains in the Albertine Rift, the location of Wakanda in the Black Panther comics. Wakanda is a peaceful, prosperous country which was never colonized, where ancient cultural traditions coexist with conservation of natural resources and high-technology modernity. Discothyrea wakanda is named in honor of these ideals for Africa and the world."	[142]
Miroculis wolverine Costa & Almeida & Salles, 2019	Mayfly	Wolverine	"The specific epithet alludes to Marvel Comics character Wolverine, as the penis of the new species resembles the retractable adamantium claw that emerge from the back of the superhero's hand"	[143]
Daptolestes bronteflavus Robinson & Yeates, 2020	Robber fly	Thor	The specific name means "blonde thunder" and was given the common name "Thor's fly."	[144]
Daptolestes illusiolautus Robinson & Yeates, 2020	Robber fly	Loki	The specific name means "elegant deception" and was given the common name "Loki's fly."
Daptolestes feminategus Robinson & Yeates, 2020	Robber fly	Black Widow	The specific name means "woman wearing leather" and was given the common name "Black Widow's fly."
Humorolethalis Robinson & Yeates, 2020	Robber fly	Deadpool	The newly erected genus means "wet or moist and dead" and its sole member, Humorolethalis sergius, was given the common name "Deadpool's fly" for sharing similar markings to Deadpool's mask.
Habeastrum strangei Simone & Cavallari & Salvador, 2020	Snail	Doctor Strange	"The specific epithet is given in honor of Dr. Stephen V. Strange, a fictional character from Marvel Comics. Besides being an acknowledgement of one of the greatest Marvel characters, the name also alludes to the weirdness of this dextral diplommatinid species."	[145]
Gekko hulk Grismer et al, 2022	Gekko	Hulk	Named for sharing the characteristics of "great physical strength and a very aggressive temperament"	[146]
Voconia loki Castillo & Rédei & Weirauch, 2022	True bug	Loki	"Named after the cunning trickster from Norse mythology and from the Marvel Comics’ character, Loki, since this specimen deceived and tricked authors in a previous study (Hwang & Weirauch 2012) who misidentified it as 'Kayanocoris wegneri'."	[147]

Peanuts[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Lepidopa luciae Boyko, 2002	Crab	Lucy Van Pelt	"The specific name 'luciae' is given after the 'Peanuts' character Lucy Van Pelt, as suggested by Jean Schulz, in recognition of Lucy’s supremely 'crabby' attitude"	[148]
Mexicope sushara Bruce, 2004	Isopod	Pig-Pen	"The epithet combines the Latin words sus (pig) and hara (pen, coop or sty) and alludes to the ability of these preserved specimens to collect adherent detritus; referring to the character 'Pigpen' in the famous comic strip Peanuts, who gathered dirt no matter what."	[149]
Ceratocorema woodstocki Liang & Hsu, 2017	Moth	Woodstock	"Stripe patterns of adult body resemble the fictional character 'Woodstock' in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip of 'Peanuts'."	[150]

Calvin and Hobbes[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Zagrammosoma hobbesi LaSalle, 1989	Wasp	Hobbes	"Named after the tiger 'Hobbes' from the Calvin & Hobbes comic, as this species has yellow and black stripes on the face, similar to a tiger."	[151]
Zagrammosoma calvini Perry, 2021	Wasp	Calvin	"The characteristic number of setae present on the head and body of Z. calvini is reminiscent of Calvin’s spiked hair."

Other comics[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
†Ninjemys oweni Gaffney, 1992	Turtle	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	"Ninja, in allusion to that totally rad, fearsome foursome epitomizing shelled success; emys, turtle."	[152]
Agra smurf Erwin, 2000	Ground beetle	The Smurfs	"The specific epithet, smurf, is just for fun in that the weird head shape of this species reminded me of the Saturday-morning television cartoon characters of that name."	[12]
Hypocaccus kidpaddlei Gomy, 2007	Clown beetle	Kid Paddle	The beetle resembles the "blorks," fictional aliens from the Kid Paddle comic	[153]
Neostygarctus lovedeluxe Fujimoto & Miyazaki, 2013	Tardigrade	Love Deluxe, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure	"The specific epithet, lovedeluxe, refers to ‘Love Deluxe’, the name of a supernatural power enabling one to have complete control over one's hair, which appeared in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4: Diamond Is Unbreakable, a famous Japanese manga written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. The hairy appearance of the new species appears as if affected by the power of ‘Love Deluxe’."	[154]
Campsicnemus popeye Evenhuis, 2013	Fly	Popeye	"The specific name derives from the American cartoon character 'Popeye the Sailor Man', who had swollen forearms; and refers to the swollen mid tibia of the males"	[155]
Taito kakera Kury & Barros, 2014	Harvestman	Kakera, Inuyasha	"From Japanese kakera = shard, because of the shape of the equuleus, reminiscent of the fragments of the Jewel of Four Souls in the Japanese manga ‘InuYasha, a Feudal Fairy Tale’, written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi."	[156]
Nausicaamantis miyazakii Mériguet, 2018	Mantis	Nausicaä, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind	The genus Nausicaamantis "is dedicated to the manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Kaze no tani no Naushika) by Hayao Miyazaki, published between 1982 and 1995 [...] In this ecological fable, the heroine, Nausicaä, a naturalist and benevolent character, explores the relationship between humans and a hostile nature in a universe where humanity is in its twilight. Insects play a central role." The species "is dedicated to the creator of the work Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Hayao Miyazaki. The author, sensitive to our environment, places nature at the centre of several of his works." This species was described from a single specimen collected in Madagascar in 1906 (112 years before publication) and preserved in the National Museum of Natural History, France; its current conservation status is unknown and it may be extinct.	[157]
Meoneura joedaltoni Stuke & Barták, 2019	Fly	Joe Dalton, Lucky Luke	"The species is named after Joe Dalton, the smallest of the four Dalton brothers, who appear in the Lucky Luke comic book series of Maurice de Bevere (Morris) and René Goscinny. Joe is the smallest of the four Dalton brothers as Meoneura joedaltoni is one of the smallest Acalyptratae."	[158]
Cigaritis syama lamuae Hsu & Liang, 2020	Butterfly	Lamu, Urusei Yatsura	"The subspecific name lamuae refers to a comic character Lam (Lamu) created by a famous manga artist Rumiko Takahashi. The patterns of wing undersides recall the graphic design of the bikini Lam wears."	[159]
Ochyrocera monica Brescovit et al, 2021	Spider	Monica and Friends	"Noun in apposition is a tribute to the fictional character of the Brazilian 'Turma da Mônica' comic books by Maurício de Sousa."	[160]

Films[edit | edit source]

Disney and Pixar[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Ceraeochrysa michaelmuris Adams & Penny, 1987	Lacewing	Mickey Mouse	"The species name emphasizes the resemblance of the protruding gonapsis lobes to mouse ears"	[161]
†Celmus michaelmus Adrain & Fortey, 1997	Trilobite	Mickey Mouse	Its abdominal apex looks like Mickey Mouse	[162]
†Bambiraptor feinbergi Burnham et al, 2000	Theropod dinosaur	Bambi	"Bambi: from the now widely used nickname for the holotype, originally coined by the Linster family"	[163]
Adelopsis dumbo Gnaspini & Peck, 2001	Beetle	Dumbo	Named "because the beetle’s aedeagus, which resembles an elephant proboscis, has at its tip a very large lateral projection resembling an ear"	[164]
Corinna zecarioca Rodrigues et al, 2014	Corinnid sac spider	José Carioca, Saludos Amigos	"The specific name is a noun in apposition referring to Walt Disney’s character “José Carioca” or, shortly, “Zé Carioca”, created in 1942. The green parrot Zé Carioca is a friend of Donald Duck and the comic books are still popular among Brazilian kids, especially those born in the city of Rio de Janeiro, the Cariocas."	[165]
Endodrelanva jimini Tan & Kamaruddin, 2016	Cricket	Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio	"The species is named after the Disney character, Jiminy cricket, from the book The Adventure of Pinocchio."	[166]
Siphopteron dumbo Ong & Gosliner, 2017	Sea slug	Dumbo	The specific name "refers to the similarity of this species to the Disney character, Dumbo the elephant, as it swims through the water."	[167]
Helobdella buzz Iwama, Nogueira & Gonçalves, 2017	Leech	Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story	"The protrusion of the skin on the nuchal region of Helobdella buzz n. sp. is a main diagnostic characteristic and its size and location resemble an astronaut helmet, as that of Buzz Lightyear."	[168]
Epicratinus stitch Gonçalves & Brescovit, 2020	Spider	Stitch, Lilo & Stitch	"The specific epithet is a noun taken in apposition and is in reference to Stitch, a fictional character in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch franchise. The shade of the colors of its ears resembles the spermathecae from ventral view."	[169]
Maratus nemo Schubert, 2021	Jumping spider	Nemo, Finding Nemo	"The specific epithet refers to the colouration of the male of this species which resembles that of the character Nemo"	[170]

Looney Tunes[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Strotarchus beepbeep Bonaldo, et al, 2012	Spider	"Beep beep", Road Runner	"The specific name refers to the cartoon character Road Runner, which always manages to fool its enemy Wile E. Coyote in the classic TV series Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. The Road Runner character vocalises mostly with a sharp " Beep, Beep " and was inspired upon the bird Geococcyx californianus that is recorded in Arizona, where the species here described is known to occur."	[171]
Cremnops wyleycoyotius Tucker et al, 2015	Wasp	Wile E. Coyote	"Named for the collector, J. Wiley, and for the holotype itself, which sneakily (like the well-known canine) remained undescribed until now"	[172]

Godzilla[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Angirasu Hoenemann, Neiber, Schram & Koenemann, 2013	Crustacean	Anguirus	"Angirasu is another of the legendary Japanese Kaiju monsters that battled with Godzilla."	[173]
Agroeca angirasu Zamani & Marusik, 2021	Spider	Anguirus	"The new species is named after Anguirus (Hepburn: Angirasu), a fictional monster which first appeared in Godzilla Raids Again (1955) and has a covering of spikes over his carapace, referring to the distinct rows of six pairs of long spines on the tibiae I and II of the holotype specimen."	[174]
Amblyrhynchus cristatus godzilla Miralles, Macleod, Rodríguez, Ibáñez, Jiménez-Uzcategui, Quezada, Vences & Steinfartz, 2017	Marine Iguana	Godzilla	"The subspecific epithet refers to the fictional saurian monster from the eponym movie franchise created by Tomoyuki Tanaka (IMDb, 2016). Explicitly mentioned in the title sequence of the 1990s American remake (Emmerich, 1998), the physical appearance and swimming behaviour of marine iguanas were a significant source of inspiration to the creature′s designer (Patrick Tatopoulos, personal communication). The name is an invariable noun in apposition."	[175]
†Diplacodon gigan Mihlbachler, 2011	Odd-toed ungulate	Gigan	"'Gigan' is a fictional giant horned monster first appearing in the 1972 Japanese film 'Godzilla versus Gigan' and other Godzilla films thereafter."	[176]
Godzilliidae Schram, Yager & Emerson, 1986	Crustacean	Godzilla	See for Godzillius, the type genus of the family.	[177]
Godzillius Yager, 1986	Crustacean	Godzilla	"A reference to the almost monstrously large size of these animals as adults, the extreme styliform talon on the maxillule, and the grappling-like claws on the maxillae and maxillipedes."	[178]
Godzillognomus Yager, 1989	Crustacean	Godzilla	"The name is derived from Godzillius, the largest known remipede and the New Latin word "gnomus," meaning a diminutive fabled being."	[179]
†Gojirasaurus Carpenter, 1997	Theropod dinosaur	Gojira, the Japanese name of Godzilla	"Gojira, a large fictional monster of the Japanese cinema, in reference to the large size of this Triassic theropod."	[180]
Kumonga Hoenemann, Neiber, Schram & Koenemann, 2013	Crustacean	Kumonga	"Kumonga, a giant spider, is one of the legendary Japanese Kaiju monsters that battled with Godzilla."	[181]
Kumongidae Hoenemann, Neiber, Schram & Koenemann, 2013	Crustacean	Kumonga	See for Kumonga, the type genus of the family.	[182]
Mecodema godzilla Seldon & Buckley, 2019	Beetle	Godzilla	"Named for the giant mythical monster of Japan. Godzilla is a non-latinised word so spelling remains invariant."	[183]
Microgaster godzilla Fernandez-Triana & Kamino, 2020	Wasp	Godzilla	"The wasp's parasitization behaviour bears some loose resemblance to the kaiju character, in the sense that the wasp (after diving underwater to search for its host, a moth caterpillar) suddenly emerges from the water (to parasitize the host), similar to how Godzilla suddenly emerges from the water in the movies."	[184]
Pleomothra Yager, 1989	Crustacean	Mothra	"In keeping with the spirit of the first described godzilliid, the name is derived from the Japanese horror creature Mothra" and the Greek word "pleo," meaning swim."	[185]
Pleomothridae Hoenemann, Neiber, Schram & Koenemann, 2013	Crustacean	Mothra	See for Pleomothra, the type genus of the family.	[186]
Ramisyllis kingghidorahi Aguado, Ponz-Segrelles, Glasby, Ribeiro, Jimi & Miura, 2022	Bristle worm	King Ghidorah	"The name refers to King Ghidorah, the three-headed and two-tailed monster enemy of Godzilla. Both characters were created by Tomoyuki Tanaka based on Japanese mythology and folklore. King Ghidorah is a branching fictitious animal that can regenerate its lost ends."	[187]
Scytodes kumonga Zamani & Marusik, 2020	Spider	Kumonga	"The specific epithet is a noun in apposition and refers to a fictional, mutated, enormous “spitting” spider first appearing in Toho’s 1967 movie Son of Godzilla."	[188]

Star Wars[edit | edit source]

Alien[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
†Xenomorphia Krogmann et al, 2018	Wasp	Xenomorph	"The genus name refers to the endoparasitoid Xenomorph creature featured in the “Alien” media franchise."	[189]
Dolichogenidea xenomorph Fagan-Jeffries & Austin, 2018	Wasp	Xenomorph	"This species is named for the fictional creature from the movie franchise ‘Alien’, which reportedly was inspired by the lifecycle of parasitic wasps."	[190]
Coptoborus newt Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Rebecca "Newt" Jorden		[117]
Coptoborus ripley Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Ellen Ripley	"This species is glabrous and reminiscent of Ripley's shaved head in 'Alien 3'"
Coptoborus vasquez Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Private Vasquez

The Terminator[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Hortipes terminator Bosselaers & Jocqué, 2000	Spider	The Terminator	The male's pedipalps resemble a "futuristic gun"	[191]
Coptoborus sarahconnor Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Sarah Connor	"The vermiculate elytral declivity gives the species a rough appearance like the character it recognizes."	[117]

The Fifth Element[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Agra lilu Erwin, 2000	Ground beetle	Leeloo	Named after Leeloo for being "red-headed"	[192]
Hirudicryptus quintumelementum Korsós et al, 2008	Millipede	The Fifth Element	"The species is named as the fifth member of the millipede order Siphonocryptida; but also in honour of the alien custodians (called ‘‘mondoshawans’’) [...] whom the head and the collum of the new species (and actually all members of the order) resemble superficially"	[193]
Coptoborus leeloo Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Leeloo		[117]

The Big Lebowski[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Anelosimus biglebowski Agnarsson, 2006	Spider	The Big Lebowski		[194]
Anelosimus dude Agnarsson, 2006	Spider	Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, The Big Lebowski

Other films[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
†Chloridops regiskongi James & Olson, 1991	Finch	King Kong, King Kong	"Olson was once quoted as saying this species was 'a giant, gargantuan, a King Kong finch', an appellation that would never have occurred to him, this being a typical example of the liberties taken with quotation marks by the print media"	[195]
Eubetia boop Brown, 1998	Moth	Betty Boop		[196]
†Ozraptor subotaii Long & Molnar, 1998	Theropod dinosaur	Subotai, Conan the Barberian	"After the fictional character Subotai, a swift running thief from the film "Conan the Barberian" [...], based on the Robert E. Howard books."	[197]
†Sinemys gamera Brinkman & Peng, 1993	Turtle	Gamera	The fossil has wing-like projections from its shell.	[198]
Shrekin Britto & Navia, 2007	Mite	Shrek	Named "because of the resemblance of the long, laterodorsal scapular tubercules to the long stalked ears of this character"	[199]
†Gamerabaena Lyson & Joyce, 2010	Turtle	Gamera	Name for the "fire-breathing turtle from the 1965 movie Gamera, in allusion to his fire breathing capabilities and the Hell Creek Formation"	[180]
Predatoroonops Brescovit et al, 2012	Goblin spider	Predator	"The name refers the fact that all species show the frontal area of the male chelicerae with modified structures that resemble the face of the Predator character" The 17 species in the genus are all named after characters, actors, locations, and other names from the movie.	[200]
Eoperipatus totoro Oliveira et al, 2013	Velvet worm	Totoro, My Neighbour Totoro	Named after Totoro, who "uses a many-legged animal [Catbus] as a vehicle"	[201]
Cystomastacoides kiddo Quicke & Butcher, 2013	Wasp	Beatrix Kiddo, Kill Bill	"Named after the character Beatrice Kiddo in the Quentin Tarantino ‘Kill Bill’ films because of the deadly biology to the host."	[202]
Axima sidi Arias-Penna et al, 2014	Wasp	Sid, Ice Age	"The name is based on facial resemblance between these two, which is mainly caused by shared bulbous eyes, and the characteristic anteroventral orientation of accompanying structures"	[203]
†Ikrandraco avatar Wang et al, 2014	Pterosaur	Ikran, Avatar	"Ikran, from the fictional flying creature portrayed in the movie Avatar that shows a well developed dentary crest and draco, from the Latin meaning dragon."	[204]
†Zuul crurivastator Arbor & Evans, 2017	Ankylosaurid dinosaur	Zuul, Ghostbusters		[205]
Qrocodiledundee outbackense Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, 2018	Wasp	Crocodile Dundee, Crocodile Dundee	"Named after the iconic Australian movie “Crocodile Dundee”, one of the favorite movies of the first author [and] after the Outback, the vast and remote interior of Australia where the holotype specimen was collected."	[206]
†Prolatcyclus kindzadza Mychko et al, 2019	Crustacean	Kin-dza-dza!		[207]
Coptoborus brigman Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Dr. Lindsey Brigman, The Abyss		[117]
Coptoborus furiosa Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Furiosa, Mad Max: Fury Road	"The 'spiny' elytra give the species a fierce appearance."
Coptoborus trinity Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Trinity, The Matrix	"Three types of setae (trifid, scale-like and bristle-like) help diagnose this species."
Coptoborus vrataski Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Rita Vrataski, Edge of Tomorrow	"The granulate elytral gives the species an armored appearance reminiscent of the character's combat jacket."
Proctoporus optimus Mamani, Cruz, Mallqui, & Catenazzi, 2022	Lizard	Optimus Prime, Transformers film series	"patronymic for Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots in the science fiction movie Transformers, in recognition of the seventh film that was filmed in Machu Picchu [the type locality]: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts."	[208]

Television[edit | edit source]

Doctor Who[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
†Mestoronema Wagner, 2002	Mollusc	Mestor, The Twin Dilemma	Named after "the ruler of the intelligent evil gastropods from the world's longest running science fiction serial, Doctor Who. "	[209]
Tetramorium dalek Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2014	Ant	Daleks	"During different stages of the revision we considered placing the material listed here as Tetramorium dalek in at least three to four different groups, which caused a significant amount of nuisance, especially to the first author. Naming this species after an evil, extra-terrestrial, and often annoying race was a logical consequence."	[94]
Synchiropus sycorax Tea & Gill, 2016	Dragonet fish	Sycorax	"The species is named after the red-robed and caped Sycorax warriors from the BBC sci-fi series Dr. Who, in showing similarities in both coloration and grandiloquence of their garb."	[210]
Cyclocardia dalek Pérez & Del Río, 2017	Bivalve	Daleks	The Daleks are "characterized by an armour with prominent circles, similar to the nodular external sculpture of this species."	[211]
Choeras zygon Fagan-Jeffries & Austin, 2019	Wasp	Zygons	"The shape-shifting nature of this fictional race mirrors the large morphological variability within C. zygon [...] The Zygon in Doctor Who also consume their 'host', a trait particularly relevant to endoparasitoid wasps."	[212]
†Ophiotardis tennanti Thuy & Numberger-Thuy, 2021	Brittle star	TARDIS, David Tennant	"Genus name formed as a combination of óphis, Greek for serpent, a commonly used prefix in ophiuroid genus names, and Tardis, acronym for 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space'"	[213]

Star Trek[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Conus tribblei Walls, 1977	Sea snail	Tribbles	Named a pet cat that was named Tribbles after the Star Trek alien species	[214]
Agra dax Erwin, 2000	Ground beetle	Jadzia Dax	Also dedicated to Terry Farrell	[215]
†Annuntidiogenes worfi Fraaije, 2009	Hermit crab	Worf	Named "in reference to the wrinkled ornament of the anterior gastric region"	[216]
Paridris gorn Talamas & Masner, 2012	Wasp	Gorn	"This species is named after a reptilian alien race from the original Star Trek television series for the similar appearance of their compound eyes. The epithet is treated as a noun in apposition."	[217]
Ledella spocki Viegas, Benaim & Absalão, 2014	Mussel	Spock	Named because the species' "valves resembles the shape of the pointed ear of the Vulcans"	[218]
Bolianus Karner, Salvato & Uliana, 2015	Beetle	Bolian	"The peculiar median groove along the head prompted us to derive the generic name from the 'Bolians', a fictitious species from the universe of the science fiction series 'Star Trek', characterized by a vertical suture running along the midline of head and face."	[219]
Phanuromyia odo Nesheim, 2017	Wasp	Odo	Named after Odo "because this species has variable morphology"	[34]
Spockia Roca-Cusachs et al, 2019	Stink bug	Spock	"[Spock] is a Vulcan/Human hybrid, this new genus shares with the commander Spock the fact that as it shares characters from genus Cazira and Blachia."	[220]
Coptoborus hansen Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Seven of Nine, born Annika Hansen		[117]
Coptoborus janeway Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Kathryn Janeway
Coptoborus uhura Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Nyota Uhura	"This species is reddish and reminiscent of the uniform Uhura wore"
Coptoborus yar Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Tasha Yar

Sesame Street and The Muppets[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
✝Geragnostus waldorfstatleri Turvey, 2005	Trilobite	Statler and Waldorf	Named after "the resemblance of the pygidial axis to the heads of Waldorf and Statler"	[221]
Parabradya samsoni Seifried, et al, 2007	Copepod	Samson, Sesamstraße	"This species is named after the German character 'Samson' of the TV show 'Sesame Street' because of its big size and the unique ornamentation of body and setae."	[222]
Stelis oscargrouchii Karremans (2015)	Orchid	Oscar the Grouch	"The name honors Oscar Grouch, of whom I am reminded by this extraordinary flower"	[223]
✝Hensonbatrachus kermiti Gardner & Brinkman, 2015	Frog	Jim Henson, Kermit the Frog		[224]
Ariadna gonzo Marsh, Stevens & Framenau, 2022	Tube-dwelling spider	Gonzo	"The specific epithet is in reference to the curved and hooked embolus of the pedipalp, which resembles the nose of the Muppet character Gonzo."	[225]

SpongeBob SquarePants[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Spongiforma squarepantsii Desjardin, Peay & T.D.Bruns, 2011	Fungus	SpongeBob SquarePants	"Named in honor of the famed cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants, whose shape shares a strong resemblance to the new fungus"	[226]
Hemirhamphiculus krabsi Kritsky, 2017	Monogenean flatworm	Mr. Krabs	"The specific name (krabsi) was chosen because of the similar body shape of the species to that of Eugene H. Krabs (Mr. Krabs), a cartoon character in the children’s animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants."	[227]
Astrolirus patricki Zhang et al, 2020	Starfish	Patrick Star	"Since all specimens of the new species were observed in situ living on sponges, it was name[d] by Patrick to reflect this curious relationship."	[228]

Battlestar Galactica[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Eucteniza caprica Bond & Godwin, 2013	Spider	Caprica-Six	Named "in reference to the humanoid cylon model Caprica 6, portrayed by Tricia Helfer in the remake of the science fiction series Battlestar Galactica."	[229]
Coptoborus starbuck Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Kara "Starbuck" Thrace	"The vermiculate elytral declivity gives the species a tough persona like the character it recognizes."	[117]

The Big Bang Theory[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Euglossa bazinga Nemésio & Ferrari, 2012	Orchid bee	"Bazinga"	"Euglossa bazinga sp. n. has tricked us for some time due to its similarity to E. ignita, which eventually led us to use 'bazinga'"	[230]
Bazinga Gershwin & Davie, 2013	Jellyfish	"Bazinga"	"[B]azinga is a slang term in present popular culture, meaning 'fooled you!' [...] the type species, B. rieki, is so small that it has probably been overlooked in the past as a juvenile of a larger species."	[231]
Kalcerrytus leonardi Bustamante, & Ruiz, 2016	Jumping spider	Leonard Hofstadter	"The specific name is dedicated to the fiction character of “The Big Bang Theory” TV show, Dr. Leonard Hofstadter."	[232]

Other television series[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Savignia naniplopi Bosselaers & Henderickx, 2002	Spider	Kabouter Plop	"The species is named after the gnome (Latin 'nanus') Plop, a popular character from children's stories whose cap is similar in shape to the male cephalic snout of the present species."	[233]
Odontacolus zimi Valerio & Austin, 2013	Wasp	Zim, Invader Zim	"This species is named after the anime character 'Invader Zim', in reference to the invasion of the spider egg sacs that occurs when Odontacolus oviposit."	[234]
Alpaida venger Castanheira & Baptista, 2015	Orb-weaver spider	Venger, Dungeons & Dragons	"The specific name refers to the antagonist character "Venger", from the animated television series named and inspired on the game "Dungeons & Dragons". The character has a single horn on the side of the head, resembling the long paramedian apophysis of the male palp."	[235]
Lycocerus evangelium Hsiao & Okushima, 2016	Soldier beetle	Neon Genesis Evangelion	"The specific epithet is derived from the Latin evangelium ('good news'), referring to [the] fact that its discovery was good news for the team; the specific name is also in memory of the anime 'Neon Genesis Evangelion', which is one of the greatest animes [sic] in Japanese history and had a strong impact on Japanese popular culture"	[236]
Elthusa xena van der Wal, 2019	Isopod	Xena, Xena: Warrior Princess	"This species is named after Xena, the warrior princess, in reference to the strong nature of the female cymothoid isopod."	[237]
Coptoborus scully Smith & Cognato, 2021	Bark beetle	Dana Scully, The X-Files	The authors also highlighted the "Scully Effect"	[117]
Spiralix heisenbergi Quiñonero-Salgado, Alonso & Rolán, 2021	Sea snail	Walter White, alias Heisenberg, Breaking Bad		[238]

Games[edit | edit source]

Galaga[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes
†Galagadon nordquistae Gates et al, 2019	Carpet shark	Galaga	"[N]amed for the shape of the teeth, which when seen in different views resemble the spaceships in the arcade game 'Galaga'"	[239]
Taito galaga Kury & Barros, 2014	Harvestman	Galaga	Named in reference to "the shape of the alien insectoids which resemble the butterfly-shaped equuleus of this species."	[156]

Super Mario[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Rotundicardia mariobrosorum Pé & del Río, 2017	Bivalve	Mario and Luigi, the "Mario Bros."	"The specific epithet honors Mario and Luigi, the Mario Bros. brothers, main characters from the popular videogame Mario Bros., in which they collect mushrooms, and it is a reference to the 'funginate' nodes of the radial ribs in this species."	[129]
Maraenobiotus supermario Novikov & Sharafutdinova, 2020	Copepod	Mario	"This species is named after the character of the video game Super Mario®, who, like our species, goes often underground and wears a funny mustache (mandibular palp)."	[240]

The Legend of Zelda[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Epicratinus zelda Gonçalves & Brescovit, 2020	Spider	Princess Zelda	"Princess Zelda is the titular character in Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda video game series. [...] The shape of the epigynum remembers the Hyrule’s symbol."	[241]
Lanayrella Salvador & Cunha, 2020	Gastropod	Lanayru Sea	"Named after the Lanayru Sea from the game ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’"	[242]

Street Fighter[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Epicratinus ehonda Gonçalves & Brescovit, 2020	Spider	E. Honda	"The specific epithet is a noun taken in apposition and is in reference to Edmond Honda, a fictional character in Street Fighter series game from CAPCOM. E. Honda is a Japanese sumo wrestler, and the epigynum resembles two sumo wrestlers in fighting position."	[241]
Epicratinus zangief Gonçalves & Brescovit, 2020	Spider	Zangief	"The specific epithet is a noun taken in apposition and is in reference to Zangief, a fictional character in Street Fighter series game from CAPCOM. Zangief is a soviet strongman, and the RTA resembles a sickle, present in old USSR flag."

Pokémon[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Stentorceps weedlei Neilson & Buffington, 2011	Wasp	Weedle	"Weedle shares the distinguishing character of S. weedlei, a spine in the middle of its head."	[243]
†Aerodactylus Vidovic & Martill, 2014	Pterosaur	Aerodactyl	"The name derives from the Nintendo Pokémon Aerodactyl, a fantasy creature made up of a combination of different pterosaurian features"	[244]
Chilicola charizard Monckton, 2016	Bee	Charizard	"The specific epithet is in homage to the fictional monster which this species resembles"	[245]
†Bulbasaurus phylloxyron Kammerer & Smith, 2017	Dicynodont	Bulbasaur	"Bulbasaurus (bulb lizard) refers to the bulbous nasal boss and the species phylloxyron (leaf razor) refers to the sharpened beak for slicing through the planet material it ate [...] similarities between this species and certain other squat, tusked quadrupeds may not be entirely coincidental."	[246][247]
Dicranocentrus pikachu Xisto & Cleide de Mendonça, 2017	Springtail	Pikachu		[248]
Parapharyngodon politoedi Santos et al., 2019	Roundworm	Politoed	A parasite of the Manaus slender-legged tree frog; "The species epithet is derived from the fictional character named 'Politoed', a frog-type Pokémon from the Pokémon Universe."	[249]
Binburrum articuno Hsiao & Pollock, 2020	Fire-coloured beetle	Articuno		[250]
Binburrum zapdos Hsiao & Pollock, 2020	Fire-coloured beetle	Zapdos
Binburrum moltres Hsiao & Pollock, 2020	Fire-coloured beetle	Moltres
Epicratinus pikachu Gonçalves & Brescovit, 2020	Spider	Pikachu	"The female epigynum resembles the face of Pikachu."	[241]
Anyphaena treecko Lin & Li, 2021	Spider	Treecko	"The species is named after Treecko, a fictional character from Pokémon Emerald that lives in the forest, as does this new species"	[251]
Anyphaena grovyle Lin & Li, 2021	Spider	Grovyle	"The species is named after Grovyle, a fictional character from Pokémon Emerald that lives in the forest, as does the new species"
Anyphaena sceptile Lin & Li, 2021	Spider	Sceptile	"The species is named after Sceptile, a fictional character from Pokémon Emerald who lives in the forest, as does this new species"
Alistra pikachu Lin & Li, 2021	Spider	Pikachu	"The species is named after Pikachu, a fictional character from Pokémon Yellow, as the habitus color of this new species is yellow"
Hiperantha pikachu Pineda & Barros, 2021	Beetle	Pikachu	"The specific name is a homage to Pikachu, a fictional monster which this species resembles in its yellow elytra with a black apical band (like the ears of Pikachu)."	[252]

Bioshock[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
Rapturella ryani Salvador & Cunha, 2016	Gastropod	Rapture and Andrew Ryan	"In honour of Andrew Ryan, the founder of the deep-sea city Rapture, from the science-fiction video game series BioShock."	[253]
Rapturella atlas Cunha & Simone, 2018	Gastropod	Rapture and Frank "Atlas" Fontaine	"In honors of Atlas, the nick name of Frank Fontaine, the character of the science-fiction video game series BioShock: an allusion to the hidden identity of the species. "	[254]

Other games[edit | edit source]

Taxon	Type	Named for	Notes	Ref
†Cortana Salvador & Simone, 2013	Gastropod	Cortana, Halo	"The name was taken from a character of the science fiction franchise 'Halo', and alludes to the convoluted markings on the shell surface of the holotype of Cortana carvalhoi"	[255]
†Crash bandicoot Travouillon et al, 2014	Bandicoot	Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot	Named after Crash Bandicoot to allude to the "inference that this was the start of a new radiation of more modern bandicoots that 'crashed' through to dominate younger, drier ecosystems of Australia."	[256]
Halystina umberlee Salvador, Cavallari & Simone, 2014	Gastropod	Umberlee, Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms	"[N]amed after Umberlee, a fictional goddess of the deep sea from the Faerûnian pantheon of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game."	[257]
Taito spaceinvaders Kury & Barros, 2014	Harvestman	Space Invaders	"Space Invaders (Japanese Supûsu Inbêdâ) is an arcade video game manufactured and sold by Taito and very successful and popular worldwide in the 1980s."	[156]
Rapturella ryani Salvador & Cunha, 2016	Gastropod	Rapture and Andrew Ryan, BioShock	"In honour of Andrew Ryan, the founder of the deep-sea city Rapture, from the science-fiction video game series BioShock."	[253]
Neobuthus factorio Kovařík, Lowe, Awale, Elmi, & Hurre, 2018	Scorpion	Factorio	Named after the video game Factorio, which was created by one of the researcher's son. That researcher being František Kovařík.	[258]
Demyrsus digmon Hsiao & Oberprieler, 2020	Weevil	Digmon, Digimon Adventure 02	Named after the insectoid Digmon, "who possesses the great power of drilling and manipulating the earth, in reference to the habit of this species, which can bore into hard trunk of cycads."	[259]
Epicratinus mauru Gonçalves & Brescovit, 2020	Spider	Mauru, Waku Waku 7	"The specific epithet is a noun taken in apposition and is in reference to Mauru, a fictional character in Waku Waku Seven, game from SUNSOFT for Neo Geo, which is the non-threatening guardian of Lost Forest."	[241]
Epicratinus omegarugal Gonçalves & Brescovit, 2020	Spider	Omega Rugal, The King of Fighters	"The specific epithet is a noun taken in apposition and is in reference to Omega Rugal, a fictional character in The King of Fighters series game from SNK, which is the boss on the first game and a recurrent character on this series, the epigynum looks like an Omega letter, from Greek alphabet."
Euconnus hosakae Hoshina, Fukutomi, & Watanabe, 2020	Rove beetle	Miyuki Hosaka, Sentimental Graffiti	The type specimen and Miyuki Hosaka are both from Kanazawa.	[260]
Emphysemastix frampt Olsen & Enghoff, 2020	Millipede	Kingseeker Frampt, Dark Souls	"The species is named after Kingseeker Frampt from the Dark Souls video game series, due to the gonopods’ resemblance to the creature."	[261]
Abaddon despoliator Derkarabetian, 2021	Harvestman	Abaddon the Despoiler, Warhammer 40,000	Named after Abaddon the Despoiler, who is "typically portrayed adorned with spikes and various sharp things"	[262]

See also[edit | edit source]

• List of unusual biological names
• List of organisms named after famous people

References[edit | edit source]