A Canadian researcher has discovered a new species of moth native to Southern California and Baja California. The insect, which measures just over a centimeter wide, is visually striking. Golden flakes cover its head, which the researcher likens to the hairdo of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Hence the new species' name: Neopalpa donaldtrumpi.
The insect is distinguishable from a related species, Neopalpa neonata, by the blondness of its head flakes, the orange-yellow coloration of its forewing and the morphology of its genitals.
Vazrick Nazari published the paper in the journal ZooKeys as an independent scholar. Nazari said in a release that he hopes naming the species after the president-elect will help draw attention to the deleterious effects that urbanization has on sensitive ecosystems.
The same journal last month published findings of a new species of fish native to the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in Hawaii, the largest such protected area in the world. The fish is named for the president who created the monument: Tosanoides obama.