“I’ve often thought that scientists take themselves too seriously,” says Nebraska entomologist. So he named three new beetle species after dragons from “Game of Thrones.” https://t.co/HgHFNF93zw
— AP Central U.S. (@APCentralRegion) December 30, 2018
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