List of organisms named after famous people (born 1900–1949)
Template:SHORTDESC: In biological nomenclature, organisms often receive scientific names that honor a person. A taxon (e.g., species or genus; plural: taxa) named in honor of another entity is an eponymous taxon, and names specifically honoring a person or persons are known as patronyms. Scientific names are generally formally published in peer-reviewed journal articles or larger monographs along with descriptions of the named taxa and ways to distinguish them from other taxa. Following rules of Latin grammar, species or subspecies names derived from a man's name often end in -i or -ii if named for an individual, and -orum if named for a group of men or mixed-sex group, such as a family. Similarly, those named for a woman often end in -ae, or -arum for two or more women. This list is part of the List of organisms named after famous people, and includes organisms named after famous individuals born between 1 January 1900 and 31 December 1949. It also includes ensembles (including bands and comedy troupes) in which at least one member was born within those dates; but excludes companies, institutions, ethnic groups or nationalities, and populated places. It does not include organisms named for fictional entities, for biologists, paleontologists or other natural scientists,[note 1] nor for associates or family members of researchers who are not otherwise notable; exceptions are made, however, for natural scientists who are much more famous for other aspects of their lives, such as, for example, Japanese emperors Hirohito and Akihito. Sir David Attenborough was formerly included in this section of the list as one of these exceptions, since despite his formal training as a natural scientist, he is more widely known to the public as a documentary filmmaker. However, due to the high number of taxa named after him (over 50 as of 2022), he has been removed; his patronyms can be found in the List of things named after David Attenborough and his works. Organisms named after famous people born earlier than 1900 can be found in:
- List of organisms named after famous people (born before 1800)
- List of organisms named after famous people (born 1800–1899)
Organisms named after famous people born later than 1949 can be found in:
The scientific names are given as originally described (their basionyms): subsequent research may have placed species in different genera, or rendered them taxonomic synonyms of previously described taxa. Some of these names are unavailable in the zoological sense or illegitimate in the botanical sense due to senior homonyms already having the same name.
List (people born 1900–1949)
Rare endoparasitic Asteriomyzostomum (Annelida: Asteriomyzostomidae) from Japan, including three new species descriptions and their phylogenetic position within Myzostomida |journal=Parasitology International |volume=66 |issue=6 |date=2017 |pages=841–847 |doi=10.1016/j.parint.2017.08.001|pmid=28797594 }}</ref> Fonseca |first3=C.R.V.d. |last4=McHugh |first4=J. |title=Haplocauda, a New Genus of Fireflies Endemic to the Amazon Rainforest (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) |journal=InsectsTaxon | Type | Namesake | Notes | Taxon image | Namesake image | Ref |
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Abba Castanheira & Framenau, 2023 | Spider | ABBA | A genus of Australian orb-weaving spiders whose name "honours the Swedish pop group ABBA whose songs and subsequent musicals Mamma Mia! (2008) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018), provided hours of entertainment for the authors." | ![]() |
[2] | |
Abichites shahriari † Korn et al., 2015 | Ammonite | Mohammad-Hossein Shahriar | A fossil from the Permian of the Aras river valley, on the border between Iran and Azerbaijan, named "After Mohammad-Hossein Shahriar (1906-1988), the last poet of the lineage of classical legendary Iranian Azerbaijani poets." | ![]() |
[3] | |
Abyssocladia hendrixii Eck, Kröner & Janussen, 2024 | Sponge | Jimi Hendrix | "Named after the famous guitarist, songwriter and singer Jimi Hendrix, whose music was a faithful companion throughout the time of the taxonomic work." | ![]() |
[4] | |
Acanthella stanleei Nascimento, Cavalcanti & Pinheiro, 2019 | Sponge | Stan Lee | "in honor of the scriptwriter and editor of Marvel Comics, recently deceased." | ![]() |
[5] | |
Acanthobunocephalus scruggsi Carvalho & Reis, 2020 | Catfish | Earl Scruggs | "Named after Earl Scruggs, a prominent American banjo player known for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, also known as "Scruggs style", which is characteristic of bluegrass music. The name of the species also makes an allusion to the common name given to aspredinid species in general (banjo catfishes), and the remarkable resemblance of the new species with this musical instrument." | [6][7] | ||
Acanthophis hawkei Wells & Wellington, 1985 | Snake | Bob Hawke | An Australian death adder "Named for the Prime Minister of Australia, the Rt. Hon. Robert J. Hawke, in recognition of his part in saving the Tasmanian wilderness." This species was described in one of the papers involved in the Wells and Wellington affair and is one of the few from those papers that is accepted as valid by the scientific community and has not been synonymised. In turn, a Protected Mobility Vehicle of the Australian Army, the Hawkei PMV, is named after the species. | ![]() |
[8][9] | |
Acidovorax kalamii Pal et al., 2018 | Bacterium | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam | Isolated from a water sample of the river Ganges in India. | ![]() |
[10] | |
Acritus bikoi Gomy, 2001 | Beetle | Steve Biko | A clown beetle native to South Africa. | [11] | ||
Acritus mandelai Gomy, 2001 | Beetle | Nelson Mandela | A clown beetle native to South Africa. | ![]() |
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[11] |
Acrogonyleptes cheguevarai DaSilva & Pinto-da-Rocha, 2010 | Harvestman | Che Guevara | "In honor of Che Guevara (1928-1967), the famous Argentine socialist revolutionary, who undertook the battle for the people's freedom in Latin America and Africa." | ![]() |
[12] | |
Acropora sirikitiae Wallace, Phongsuwan & Muir, 2012 | Coral | Sirikit | A stony coral found on the coast of Thailand, "named to honour the 80th year of Her Majesty Queen Regent of Thailand, Somdetch Phra Nang Chao Sirikit Phra Baromma Rajini Nath, who has supported biodiversity and conservation of Thailand's reef, and improved the lives of poor fishermen of Thailand, by her restoration project providing artificial reefs in Thai waters." | ![]() |
[13] | |
Actinopus dioi Miglio, Pérez-Miles & Bonaldo, 2020 | Spider | Ronnie James Dio | "The specific name is in honor of musician Ronald James Padavona or Ronnie James Dio, one of Black Sabbath vocals, affiliated to several bands of heavy metal in addition to his solo career." | ![]() |
[14] | |
Actinopus osbournei Miglio, Pérez-Miles & Bonaldo, 2020 | Spider | Ozzy Osbourne | "The specific name is in honor of musician John Michael Osbourne or Ozzy Osbourne, the founder of heavy metal, affiliated to a band called Black Sabbath, in addition to his solo career." | ![]() |
[14] | |
Adaina jobimi Vargas, 2020 | Moth | Antônio Carlos Jobim | "dedicated to the memory of the great Brazilian musician Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim, best known as Tom Jobim, for his huge contribution to the development of the "Música Popular Brasileira" and his admiration of nature". | ![]() |
[15] | |
Adenomera chicomendesi Carvalho et al., 2019 | Frog | Chico Mendes | "The new species is named after Francisco Alves Mendes Filho, better known as Chico Mendes, in recognition of his efforts and sacrifice as an environmentalist in the Amazon rain forest, especially in the Brazilian state of Acre, his homeland [where the type locality is]. He also fought for the human rights of indigenous peoples and rubber tapper communities of the region. As a consequence of his activism, Chico Mendes was assassinated on 22 December 1988 in his hometown of Xapuri, in Acre." | ![]() |
[16] | |
Adoretus kennedyi Limbourg, Dekoninck & Seidel, 2024 | Beetle | Robert F. Kennedy | "Dedicated to the late Robert F. Kennedy for his civil rights position" | ![]() |
[17] | |
Adoretus scotti Limbourg, Dekoninck & Seidel, 2024 | Beetle | Bon Scott | "Dedicated to the late Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott (1946-1980), lead vocalist and lyricist of the AC/DC hard rock band." | ![]() |
[17] | |
Adoretus thomasi Limbourg, Dekoninck & Seidel, 2024 | Beetle | Terry-Thomas | "Dedicated to the late British actor Terry-Thomas (1911-1990) for the similarity between the shape of the big moustache of his character of Sir Reginald in the 1966 French-British comedy film La Grande Vadrouille and the long setae on the apex of the parameres of the new species." | ![]() |
[17] | |
Aegires evorae Moro & Ortea, 2015 | Sea slug | Cesária Évora | A species native to the waters of Cape Verde "Named after Cesárea [sic] Évora, the queen of morna, universal interpreter of Cape Verdean music." | ![]() |
[18] | |
Aegomorphus wojtylai Hilszczanski & Bystrowski, 2005 | Beetle | Pope John Paul II | A Polish beetle, posthumously named for the Pope's birth name, Karol Wojtyła. Subsequently synonymised with Aegomorphus obscurior. | ![]() |
[19][20] | |
Aegrotocatellus jaggeri † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1995 | Trilobite | Mick Jagger | Perirehaedulus richardsi was named concurrently to honor fellow Rolling Stones member Keith Richards. | ![]() |
[21] | |
Aegrotocatellus nankerphelgeorum † Adrain & Edgecombe, 1995 | Trilobite | Nanker Phelge | Collective pseudonym used by members of The Rolling Stones. | ![]() |
[21] | |
Aetana abadae Huber, 2015 | Spider | Pacita Abad | A cellar spider from the Philippines, "Named for Philippine-born cosmopolitan artist Pacita Abad (1946–2004), famous for her vibrant, colorful abstract work, but also for her paintings of tropical flowers and animal wildlife." | ![]() |
[22] | |
Aetana kiukoki Huber, 2015 | Spider | Ang Kiukok | A cellar spider from the Philippines. | [22] | ||
Aetana manansalai Huber, 2015 | Spider | Vicente Manansala | A cellar spider from the Philippines, "Named for the Filipino painter and illustrator Vicente Silva Manansala (1910–1981), most famous for his 'Madonna of the Slums'" | ![]() |
[22] | |
Aetana ocampoi Huber, 2015 | Spider | Hernando R. Ocampo | A cellar spider from the Philippines, "Named for the Filipino artist Hernando Ruiz Ocampo (1911–1978), famous for his work reflecting the harsh realities of his country after the Second World War, but also for his interest in depicting Philippine flora and fauna." | [22] | ||
Afgekia mahidoliae B.L.Burtt & Chermsir. | Legume | Srinagarindra | A climbing vine from Thailand "dedicated, with permission, to Her Royal Highness, the King's Mother, whose interest in the Thai flora is well known." | ![]() |
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[23] |
Afghanella tereshkovae † Leven, 1967 | Protist | Valentina Tereshkova | A fossil foraminiferan found in Permian deposits throughout Eurasia, described from a holotype collected from the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan (formerly part of the Soviet Union). | ![]() |
[24] | |
Agathidium bushi Miller & Wheeler, 2005 | Beetle | George W. Bush | This beetle was named by Quentin D. Wheeler, and President Bush was pleased with the gesture, even calling Wheeler to thank him for the honor. Because of the problematic public image of Bush and his cabinet, and the fact that this is a slime-mold beetle which feeds on decaying fungi, some interpreted the naming to be intended as an insult; however, Wheeler clarified that this species, as well as A. cheneyi and A. rumsfeldi, were meant as homages: "We admire these leaders as fellow citizens who have the courage of their convictions and are willing to do the very difficult and unpopular work of living up to principles of freedom and democracy rather than accepting the expedient or popular". Co-author Kelly Miller said "We intended the names to be honorific... We were two conservatives in academia working together (which is not common). It was early in the Iraq war period, and we were both in favor of intervention there... And finally, we love our beetles! We wouldn't name a new species after someone we didn't like. [In interviews,] we compared it to the Lewis and Clark expedition naming the three forks of the Missouri after Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin (President, Vice President, and Secretary of the Treasury [at the time])." | ![]() |
[25][26] [27][28] | |
Agathidium cheneyi Miller & Wheeler, 2005 | Beetle | Dick Cheney | ![]() |
[25][26] | ||
Agathidium rumsfeldi Miller & Wheeler, 2005 | Beetle | Donald Rumsfeld | ![]() |
[25][26] | ||
Agmasoma aquinoae Enriquez & Sprague, 1988 | Fungus | Corazon Aquino | This species of marine microsporidium was first identified in the Philippines. It is a parasite of prawns of the genus Penaeus. | ![]() |
[29] | |
Agra schwarzeneggeri Erwin, 2002 | Beetle | Arnold Schwarzenegger | Named "in reference to the markedly developed (biceps-like) middle femora of the males of this species reminiscent of the actor's physique." | ![]() |
[30] | |
Agraecia cesairei Hugel, 2009 | Katydid | Aimé Césaire | This species is endemic to Martinique. It was subsequently transferred to the monotypic genus Sylvainhugiella, named after the scientist who described it. | ![]() |
[31][32] | |
Agrilus updikei Hespenheide, 2012 | Beetle | John Updike | A species of jewel beetle that mimics flies, "named in honor of the late writer John Updike. Although Updike published sparingly on Neotropical beetles (1963), his use of metaphors, widely admired by critics, recommends this honor because, in a sense, a species which mimics another is a kind of metaphor for the mimicked species and benefits by being confused for its model by uncritical predators." | ![]() |
[33] | |
Akihito Watson, Keith, & Marquet, 2007 | Fish | Akihito | A freshwater goby endemic to Vanuatu. "The new genus name honors Emperor Akihito for his many contributions to goby systematics and phylogenetic research" | ![]() |
[34] | |
Aleiodes kingmani Shimbori & Shaw, 2014 | Wasp | Eduardo Kingman | A parasitoid wasp from Ecuador, "named after Eduardo Kingman (Loja, February 23, 1913 – Quito, November 27, 1997), one of the greatest Ecuadorian artists, who dedicated his art to portray the indigenous people of Ecuador." | [35] | ||
Aleiodes niveni Butcher et al., 2012 | Wasp | Larry Niven | ![]() |
[36] | ||
Allende Álvarez-Padilla, 2007 | Spider | Salvador Allende | A genus of Long-jawed orb weaver spiders native to Chile. | ![]() |
[37] | |
Allendia Noonan, 1974 | Beetle | Salvador Allende | "The genus is named for Salvador Allende, the late president of Chile, and is dedicated to his memory." This genus is native to Chile, and was named one year after Allende's death. | ![]() |
[38] | |
Allobates algorei Barrio-Amorós & Santos, 2009 | Frog | Al Gore | "We name this species after the former American vice-president and Nobel Peace Laureate Al Gore to recognize his ecumenical efforts to alert the people of the planet about the global warming crisis. Amphibians are among the organisms most affected by this crisis, even without direct prosecution by humans. Concretely, the Andes of Venezuela [where this species is native from] have suffered an evident decimation of amphibian populations due to known and unknown causes." | ![]() |
[39] | |
Allocybaeina littlewalteri Bennett, 2020 | Spider | Little Walter | "The specific epithet is a patronym honouring the late musician "Little" Walter Jacobs whose ground-breaking approach to blues harmonica in the 1950s and 1960s set the standards for all subsequent players". | [40] | ||
Alterosa amadoi Dumas, Calor & Nessimian, 2013 | Caddisfly | Jorge Amado | A species native to Bahia state, Brazil, "dedicated to the deceased Brazilian writer Jorge Amado, who was born in Bahia state in 1912 and died in 2001. Amado is one of the most acclaimed contemporary Brazilian novelists, whose 32 novels have sold millions of copies. Among his best-known works are Capitães de Areia, Gabriela, Cravo e Canela, and Tieta do Agreste. In 2012, Brazil celebrated the centenary of his birth." | ![]() |
[41] | |
Alterosa caymmii Dumas, Calor & Nessimian, 2013 | Caddisfly | Dorival Caymmi | A species native to Bahia state, Brazil, "named in memory of Dorival Caymmi, considered one of the most important Brazilian songwriters. Caymmi was born in Bahia state in 1914 and died [in] 2008. He became a national icon with his lyrics that evoked the charm of Bahia's fishing villages, beaches and beautiful women, like "O Que é Que a Baiana Tem?", "Marina", "Rainha do Mar", "Samba da Minha Terra", among others". | ![]() |
[41] | |
Amaurotoma zappa † Plas, 1972 | Snail | Frank Zappa | A fossil species from the Permian of Nevada, USA | [42][43] | ||
Ami bladesi Pérez-Miles, Gabriel & Gallon, 2008 | Spider | Rubén Blades | This species was described from a specimen collected in Colón Island, Panama. Subsequently synonymised with Neischnocolus panamanus Petrunkevitch, 1925. |
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[44][45] | |
Amplaria adamsi Shear & Krejca, 2007 | Millipede | Ansel Adams | A troglobiont species found in Sequoia National Park, California, named "After the late Ansel Adams, an extraordinary photographer whose finest pictures depict the Sierra Nevada." | ![]() |
[46] | |
Anacroneuria carole Stark, 2004 | Stonefly | Carole King | "The species name [...] honors singer, songwriter, environmental advocate, Carole King in recognition of the music career, a pearl by any standard." (This species belongs to the family Perlidae) | ![]() |
[47] | |
Anacroneuria taylori Stark, 2004 | Stonefly | James Taylor | "The patronym honors singer, songwriter James Taylor in appreciation of his attention to environmental causes, particularly those in the rainforests of South America where Anacroneuria occurs." | ![]() |
[47] | |
volume=13 |issue=1 |article-number=58 |doi=10.3390/insects13010058 |doi-access=free|pmid=35055901 |pmc=8778453 }}</ref> | ||||||
Haplochromis nyererei Witte-Maas & Witte, 1985 | Fish | Julius Nyerere | Subsequently transferred to genus Pundamilia. | ![]() |
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[48] |
Harryhausenia † Boyko, 2004 | Crustacean | Ray Harryhausen | A genus of fossil crabs from the Oligocene of Italy. "Named for the great dynamator of fantasy film, Ray Harryhausen, in recognition of his long career during which he brought the imaginary to life on the screen." |
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[49] | |
Heckethornia bowiei † McAdams & Adrain, 2009 | Trilobite | David Bowie | ![]() |
[50] | ||
Hedyotis papafranciscoi Alejandro | Flowering plant | Pope Francis | This species from the Philippines was discovered by researchers of the Catholic University of Santo Tomas (Manila) and "dedicated to Pope Francis, the reigning pope [...][at the time of the species description, 2015] of the Catholic Church. Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis is the first Jesuit pope." Pope Francis had visited the university campus during his first papal visit to the Philippines, that same year. | ![]() |
[51][52]
See also
Notes
References
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