It ’s no secret that many scientists are great fans of science fabrication , and sometimes tributes to characters and authors end up in their work . We list 30 species , alive and extinct , that bear scifi - themed names .
Otocinclus batmani ( Batman )
In 2007 , ichthyologist Pablo Lehmann named a newly discovered species of catfish after the cap reformist . Why ? Because , if you count closely at the tail , you’re able to see the Bat Symbol . Now visitors flock to Loon Lake in Antioch , Illinois each summer to attempt to catch the Pisces .
Tarbosaurus efremovi ( Ivan Yefremov )
Soviet writer Ivan Yefremov is most renowned for his works of science fiction ( most notably the communistic utopian novel Andromeda Nebula ) , but he was also a paleontologist . Perhaps that ’s why a Russian fossilist named this specie of Tarbosaurus ( a good cousin of the Tyrannosauri ) after the writer .
Arthurdactylus conandoylei ( Arthur Conan Doyle )
Writing a book about dinosaurs is a good way to get a reptile key after you , even if Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had to wait 82 yr after the issue of The Lost World for it to materialise . In 1994 , paleontologist Eberhard Frey and David Matrill named an entire genus of flying reptile after the author , who described a similar creature in his novel .
Irritator Challengeri ( Professor Challenger )
A second dinosaur named for The Lost World , I. challengeri is discover for Doyle ’s irritable sciolist Professor Challenger . Perhaps appropriately , I. challengeri could have eaten A. conandoylei for breakfast ; a fossilize tooth from its genus was once discovered lodged in a flying reptile ’s neck .
Draculoides bramstokeri ( Bram Stoker )
If you ’re going to name a critter after the author of Dracula , it had better be a bloodsucker . This Australian arachnid is known for its fang - similar pedipalps , which it uses to grab and crush quarry before sucking out their tasty juices . As an added bonus , this sucker lives in the darkness of caves .
Orsonwelles ( Orson Welles )
Arachnologist Gusavo Hormiga named this genus of gigantic spider after writer and conductor Orson Welles merely because Welles was a giant of filmmaking ( we ’re assured this is have in mind metaphorically ) . The individual species ’ names are subtle mention to Welles ’ work , such as O. Bellum for War of the Worlds , O. Malas for Touch of Evil , and O. Toledus for Citizen Kane .
Serendipaceratops arthurcclarkei ( Arthur C. Clarke )
2001 author Arthur C. Clarke has a hatful of thing named for him and his creations : the asteroid 4923 Clarke , the 2001 Mars Odyssey satellite , and , of course , the Clarke award . Having a species of dinosaur named after him is just ice on the namesake patty .
Borogovia ( Borogoves – The Jabberwocky )
Perhaps as an attempt to impart more meaning to Lewis Carroll ’s famous bunk verse form , the paleontologists who name these smaller , carnivorous dinosaurs diagnose them after the borogoves in the opening poetry :
‘ Twas brillig , and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe ; All mimsy were the borogoves , And the mome raths outgrabe .
Dracorex Hogwartsia ( Hogwarts School of Wizardry )
When a 66 million year - old dinosaur that depend like a firedrake was discovered in South Dakota , paleontologists decide it would be at home in the Harry Potter universe , naming it “ The Dragon King of Hogwarts ” after the shoal of wizardry . J.K. Rowling agree that the brute looked familiar , like “ a slenderly less pyromaniac Hungarian Horntail . ”
Leucothoe tolkieni ( JRR Tolkien )
There is actually no shortage of critters named for Tolkien ’s creation , from a hairy - footed beetle call Pericompsus bilbo to the hexapod Gollumjapyx smeagol . But the tiny prawn - alike crustacean L. tokieni is named for the human being himself .
Gojirasaurus ( Gojira )
It ’s believably not surprising that someone would eventually name a dinosaur after Japan ’s giant reptilian monster . But you would think they would have choose a larger creature ; Gojirasaurus is a mere 6.5 metre tall , and would tower over a man , but not the city of Tokyo .
Godzilliidae ( Gojira )
Of naturally , this family of blind crustaceans from the class Remipedia makes Gojirasaurus look like Godzilla . It also contains two Gojira - themed geni : Godzillius , the largest of the remipedes , and Godzilligonomus , the small .
Pleomothra ( Mothra )
Evidentally , naming remipede crustaceans after Nipponese monster became something of a conventionalism , as another genus in the Godzilliidae kinfolk was named after the flying menace Mothra .
Sinemys gamera ( Gamera )
At least Gamera was appoint for a creature he might actually be pertain to . S. gamera is a polo-neck from the Cretaceous Period . Though the species may have exist in Japan , the S. gamera fossils were actually found in Inner Mongolia .
Hortipes terminator ( Terminator )
The Hortipes are a genus of midget spiders that live in the soil of sub - Saharan Africa . The H. terminator was reportedly so named because the males ’ appendage resemble a futuristic torpedo .
Balnibarbi ( Balnibarbi – Gulliver ’s Travels
Another common source of scientific names is Jonathan Swift ’s Gulliver ’s travelling . Oddly enough , this genus of trilobite gets its name from Balnibarbi , a commonwealth where skill is used for foolish ends .
Laputavis ( Laputa – Gulliver ’s Travels )
The Laputavis seems a more apt name from Jonathan Swift . Not only does it make sense to name an extinct bird for the flying castle in Gulliver ’s travel , it ’s also a bit of a pun , as the Laputavis are connect to Gustavus Franklin Swift .
deplorably , no image of Laputavis was useable . This is its upstage relation , an Alpine Swift .
Holorusia brobdingnagia ( Brobdingnags – Gulliver ’s Travels )
Brobdingnag is the country of titan — gargantuan hoi polloi , giant git , giant insect . The H. brobdingnagia Hart Crane fly is n’t quite as heavy as standardized creatures in Brogdingnag ( which were sound out to be as heavy as cats ) , but they ’re still goodish and teasing pests .
Jurassosaurus Nedegoapeferima ( Jurassic Park )
This ankylosaur is bring up not just for the moving-picture show Jurassic Park , but for the mould as well . The species name is made up of letters from the role player ’ surnames : Sam Neil , Laura Dern , Jeff Goldblum , Sir Richard Attenborough , Bob Peck , Martin Ferrero , Ariana Richards , and Joseph Mazzello . at last , the genus name Jurassosaurus was dropped in favour of Tianchisaurus , but the movie - inspired specie name deposit .
Conus tribblei ( Tribbles – Star Trek )
You would think a specie named after the fuzzy , facts of life - happy pets from the original Star Trek series would be furred . Instead , we get piranha sea escargot . As it turn out , C. tribblei is n’t named straight for the fictional dearie , but for spotter Jerry Walls actual pet , a computerized tomography named “ Tribbles . ”
Bidenichthys beeblebroxi ( Zaphod Beeblebrox – Hitchhiker ’s Guide to the Galaxy )
Though you ca n’t see it on this species of triplefin blenny ( a close relation ) , B. bebblroxi has a false school principal pattern on its scales , earning it a moniker similar to that of Douglas Adams ’ rum two - headed alien .
Erechthias beeblebroxi ( Zaphod Beeblebrox – Hitchhiker ’s Guide to the Galaxy )
Once again not seen here on this related species , but the E. beeblebroxi moth ’s pattern create the illusion of a second head , adding it to Zaphod ’s two - headed naming pile .
Fiordichthys slartibartfasti ( Slartibartfast – Hitchhiker ’s Guide to the Galaxy )
major planet designer Slartibartfast has a exceptional chemical attraction for making coastline , especially the fjords of Norway . So this particular fishy , found only in the Fiordland of New Zealand was key in his honor .
Ninjemys ( Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles )
This horned turtleneck of Pleistocene epoch acquire its radical name from the sewer - dwelling mutants of New York . Sadly , its existence antecede the innovation of the pepperoni pizza pie , so it was forced to live on a diet of plants .
Morlockia Garcia - Valdecasas ( Morlocks – The Time Machine )
The ulterior Morlocks from H.G. Wells get their own troglodyte mintage key for them , a remipede crustacean plant in the cave of the Bahamas .
Pimoa Cthulhu ( The Call of Cthulhu )
You might have await that a species named after Lovecraft ’s unutterable repugnance would be a cephalopod of some kind , or at least something scarily monstrous . alternatively , we get an ordinary American spider , one that is n’t even venomous to man .
Han alone ( Han Solo )
Giving this trilobite metal money the name Han solo was an excuse not only to name a creature after a fictitious character from Star Wars , but also to make a abominable pun . H. solo , is , after all , the exclusive penis of the genus Han . Incidentally , Harrison Ford has two species named after him , the spieder Calponia harrisonfordi and the ant Pheidole harrisonfordi .
Agathidium vaderi ( Darth Vader )
If there ’s one person that biologist ca n’t resist naming critters after , it ’s Darth Vader . And entymologists Kelly Miller and Quentin Wheeler especially screw designate beetle in the Agathidium genus unusual names . Other Agathidium metal money let in A. bushi , A. cheneyi , and A. rumsfeldi . A. vaderi in fussy gets its name from its shiny , helmet - like head .
Darthvaderum ( Darth Vader )
Apparently , this genus of orbit pinch aim its name when the bug-hunter who notice them took one look and thought of the Sith Lord .
Polemistus chewbacca , P. vaderi , and P. yoda ( Chewbacca , Darth Vader , and Yoda )
It ’s not entirely clear why entomologist Arnold Menke and David Vincent decided to name their newly - discovered wasp species after characters from Star Wars . Apparently , they ’re just big fans .
BiologydinosaursInsectsPaleontologytaxonomy
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