Science & Tech

New Beetle Species Named After GAME OF THRONES Characters

by Lindsey Romain
Jan 3 2019 • 8:34 AM

Game of Thrones finally returns to screens this April after a nearly two-year hiatus, much to the joy of fans everywhere. But also to their sadness, as the upcoming eighth season will also be the show’s last. But that doesn’t mean Thrones won’t occupy pop culture conversations for eons to come. Now it’s even making waves in the science world.University of Nebraska entomologist and professor Bret Ratcliffe recently named three new species of beetle after the dragons on Game of Thrones: drogoni, rhaegali and viserioni, the Latinized versions of Daenerys‘s dragons, Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion.

All three beetles are from the genus Gymnetis and have orange features that evoke dragon fire. Drogoni and viserioni can be found in Colombia and Ecuador, while rhaegali is found in French Guiana. According to the Omaha World-Herald, Ratcliffe is a fan of the show, but also chose the names as a way of “drawing attention to biodiversity and the huge amount of undiscovered species.”“When you create names like these, you do it to gain a little bit of notoriety and bring public attention to it,†Ratcliffe told the World-Herald. “We’re still discovering life on Earth. One of every four living things on Earth is a beetle. We haven’t discovered them all. We’re not even close.â€That means there are plenty of opportunities for even more Thrones-inspired beetle names. Maybe direwolf beetles are next? A beetle named after the Night King? The possibilities are endless!

Image: HBO