Newly Discovered Ancient Wasp Species Gets Its Name from David Bowie

There lots of different ways to pay tribute to idols that are no longer with us, but one of the coolest is memorializing their names in newly discovered species. Plenty of famous people have their names immortalized in a latin species name, from David Attenborough (Prethopalpus attenboroughi, the goblin spider) to Hugh Hefner (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri, a rabbit, of course). Now the dearly departed Spaceman himself, David Bowie, has been added to this esteemed list, with the discovery of a wasp trapped in amber that lived alongside the dinosaurs 100 million years ago.

A new paper announced the discovery of the species in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research. The wasp's latin name, Archaeoteleia astropulvis, "commemorates the late David Bowie's alter ego, Ziggy Stardust," and also refers to "to the ancient source of the atoms that form our planet and its inhabitants," according to the scientists.

This actually isn't the first time that David Bowie has entered into the lexicon of species names. In 2008, a huntsman spider was named Heteropoda davidbowie to celebrate the artist. But this is the first insect to be named in his honor posthumously.

Another species, Proteroscelio nexus, was also discovered. Both were found trapped in ancient amber in Myanmar's mines. The specimens were discovered by the entomology student Longfeng Li, who brought them to be classified by the Smithsonian. Now, they have been donated to the Key Lab of Insect Evolution and Environmental Change in Beijing.

Source: Journal of Hymenoptera Research via Motherboard