A new species of moth was named in honor of Donald Trump just days before he takes office on Friday, Jan. 20. An evolutionary biologist named a newly discovered endangered moth as Neopalpa donaldtrumpi. The Donald Trump moth has yellow scales in the head which looks significantly similar to the US President-elect's hairstyle.
This is not the first moth that was linked to Donald Trump. Previously, a flannel moth caterpillar called Megalopyge opercularis was given the nicknamed 'Trumpapillar' courtesy of its fluffy tufts which also resemble the Trump's hair. Dr. Vazrick Nazari of the discovered the Donald Trump moth while browsing borrowed material from the Bohart Museum of Entomology, University of California.
In a study published in the journal, Zookeys, in Tuesday, Jan. 17, Dr. Nazari made a DNA sequential analysis and dissected the genitalia of the species. He described that its physical features alone are different from that of Neopalpa neonata.
It doesn't have some distinct characteristics of the N. neonata. Aside from its yellow scales and distinctive orange-yellow coloration on the forewing dorsum, it also has unique male genitalia. The study described its genital valvae are strongly curved and the saccus has an acute tip.
Both species of the same genus can be found in the states of California and Mexico. However, being in an urbanized and populated area, the new species is already in danger of extinction. Dr. Nazari hope that the fame riding its namesake could lead to efforts to conserve its habitat.
"By naming this species after the 45th President of the United States, I hope to bring some public attention to, and interest in, the importance of alpha-taxonomy in better understanding the neglected micro-fauna component of the North American biodiversity," Dr. Vazrick said according to Science Daily. The Donald Trump moth is local to southern California and Baja Mexico.
