Research Team Members Are Passionate Fans of Federer and Nadal
"To Show Respect to the Two Great Players"
A newly discovered species of wasp in Thailand has drawn attention by being named after legendary tennis stars Roger Federer (Switzerland) and Rafael Nadal (Spain).
Professor Buntika Arikul from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and her team announced on the 13th through the zoological journal Zookeys that among six new species of wasps found in two Thai national parks, two were given the scientific names ‘Troporhogas rogerfedereri’ and ‘Troporhogas rafaelnadali’ respectively.
These wasps, along with four other species, were discovered in Khao Yai National Park and Khao Sok National Park in Thailand.
Both species are parasitic wasps that lay their eggs on other insects; the hatched larvae grow by consuming the host insect from the inside. They measure 6 mm in length and have black, white, and orange patterns on their bodies.
Professor Buntika said, “Two members of our research team are ardent fans of Federer and Nadal,” adding, “As the names suggest, the scientific names of these two insects are meant to pay tribute to the two great players.”
In biology, scientific names often reflect the intentions of the discoverer, as the person who discovers a new species applies for its registration.
In April, a plant species discovered in Narathiwat Province in southern Thailand was named Friesodielsia lalisae. This name includes ‘Lalisa,’ taken from the real name of Lisa Manobal, the Thai member of the girl group BLACKPINK.
The research team stated in their report, “The name was given to honor singer Lalisa Manobal, who helped researcher Anisara Damdongti overcome difficult times during the study period.”
Additionally, in 2020, a research team that discovered a new fossil starfish from the Late Cretaceous period in Luxembourg named it Ophiomitrella floorae after Floor Jansen, the vocalist of the Finnish heavy metal band Nightwish.
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