Crito Distand, 1916 (leafhopper) named after a dialog by Plato.

Electra Lamouroux 1816 (bryozoan)

Gargantua Jullien, 1888 (bryozoan)

Gargantuavis philoinis Buffetaut and Le Loeuff, 1998 (huge Cretaceous flightless bird) This French fossil was named for one of the giants in Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel. "Philoinis" means "wine-loving", which describes the original Gargantua but probably not the bird.

Grendelius McGowan, 1976 (Jurassic ichthyosaur) named for Beowulf's nemesis. Now synonymized with Brachypterygius.

Iago Compagno & Springer, 1971 (shark)

Ophelia (annelid)

Peneothello (robin) probably so named because the bird is mostly black ("pene" means "almost").

Puck (anglerfish)

Oedipus rex (salamander)

Oedipodrilus oedipus Holt (worm)

Saguinus oedipus oedipus (cotton-top tamarin) According to a paper presented by A. J. Ginther and C. T. Snowdon at the 2004 American Society of Primatologists conference ("The Oedipal conflict in Saguinus oedipus"), these tamarins really do love their mothers (though the dams do not let them complete the process). Apparently, though, this behavior was not observed until after the species was named, perhaps for its big feet.

Ozymandias Jordan & Gilbert, 1919 (fossil fish)

Agra eponine Erwin (carabid) Named after the street urchin in Les Miserables.

Bagherra kiplingi Peckham and Peckham, 1896 (Central American spider) Named for Rudyard Kipling and Bagheera, the black panther from Kipling's The Jungle Book. Ironically, it is the first known vegetarian spider.

Balnibarbi Fortey (trilobite) Named for the abysmally inept technocracy in Swift's Gulliver's Travels.

Borogovia Osmólska, 1987 (theropod dinosaur) from "borogove", a mimsy creature from Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky".

Daggoo, Queequeg, and Tashtego Sime & Wahl, 2002 (ichneumonid wasps) named for the harpoonists in Herman Melville's Moby Dick. [Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 134: 1]

Desulforudis audaxviator Chivian et al. 2008 (sulfate-reducing bacterium) Found in water samples from 2.8 km underground in the Mponeng gold mine in South Africa; the only species known in its ecosystem. The name comes from a quotation from Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. The hero, Professor Lidenbrock, finds a secret Latin inscription that reads: "Descende, audax viator, et terrestre centrum attinges" (Descend, bold traveller, and you will attain the center of the Earth).

Dracula Luer 1978 (orchid) The orchid is blackish-red and looks like a bat. The name has also been used erroneously for the pigeon genus Ducula.

Liparis draculoides (another orchid)

Desmodus draculae Morgan, Linares and Ray, 1988 (giant South American vampire bat, recently extinct).

Danionella dracula Britz (fish) a Burmese fish with "fangs" made of bone.

Draculo Snyder, 1911 (dragonet fish)

Dryadella lilliputiana Cogniaux (orchid) named for the country of diminutive feuding people in Swift's Gulliver's Travels.

Holorusia brobdingnagius (crane fly) Named for the Brobdingnags, a race of giants in Swift's Gulliver's Travels. According to Guinness, it is probably the world's largest crane fly, it has a wingspan of 4 inches, and its legs may spread almost 9 inches.

Ichabodcraniosaurus Novacek 1996 [nomen nudum] (dinosaur) Named for a character in Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It was found without a head; a head was found later, but it is uncertain whether the head belongs to the skeleton.

Agra ichabod Erwin, 2002 (carabid) "Refers to the fact that the holotype is missing its head and the illusion is that of the frightened schoolteacher Ichabod Crane's phantom nemesis, the Headless Horseman, in 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'...."

Laputa Whitley, 1930 (fish) and, more appropriately,
Laputavis Dyke, 2001 (Middle Eocene fossil swift) named for the floating castle in Swift's Gulliver's Travels.

Morlockia Garcia-Valdecasas, 1984 (cave-dwelling remipede crustacean) Named for the Morlocks, the subterranean subhumanoids in H.G. Well's The Time Machine.

Muscatheres Evenhuis, 1986 (bee fly) "There are only three Muscatheres known," referring to three specimens of the lone species, M. lurida (previously described in the genus Phthiria).

Paramphientomum yumyum Enderlein, 1907 (psocopteran) Probably named after the character Yum-yum in Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado." This is not confirmed, but it is supported by the fact that the insect is native to Japan.

Pseudione quasimodo Boyko & Williams, 2004 (parasitic isopod (Crustacea: Isopoda: Bopyroidea) found under the carapace of hermit crabs) Named for Victor Hugo's bell ringer of Notre Dame, as the parasite has a distinct bulge in dorsal view. (Boyko originally wrote in the manuscript that he "had a hunch" it was a new species, but the un-amused editor insisted that be stricken from the text.)

Semiramis Becker, 1913 (bombyliid fly) A story by Voltaire about a Babylonian queen.

Stylaclista quasimodo Early (diapriid wasp)

Tetragnatha quasimodo (Hawaiian spider) Named for the kyphotic bellringer in Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Walckenaeria pinocchio Kaston, 1945 (spider) Named for Carlo Lorenzini's prevaricating marionette in The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Dracorex hogwartsia Bakker et al. 2006 (pachycephalosaur dinosaur) Named for Hogwarts School of Harry Potter fame. The genus means "dragon king." J. K. Rowling wrote, "I am absolutely thrilled to think that Hogwarts has made a small (claw?) mark upon the fascinating world of dinosaurs." The skull is on display at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

Eeyorius Paulin, 1986 (Australian fish) named for the donkey in A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh books. Like Eeyore, it lives in damp, dark places.

Humbert humberti Sime & Wahl, 2002 (ichneumonid wasp) Named for Nabokov's Lolita pederast Humbert Humbert. [Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 134: 1]

Irritator challengeri Martill, Cruikshank, Frey, Small & Clarke, 1996 (small theropod dinosaur) "challengeri" refers to Professor Challenger, a character from Doyle's The Lost World. The generic name came from the fact that inept Brazilian fossil collectors broke the skull in extracting it and rebuilt it incorrectly: "From irritation, the feeling the authors felt (understated here) when discovering that the snout had been artificially elongated".

Ledermanniella maturiniana Beentje, 2005 (a minute Kenyan waterweed, Podostemaceae) Named after Patrick O'Brian's character Doctor Stephen Maturin, an avid naturalist and pathetic sailor who often managed to fall off boats. Like him, this plant is often immersed.

Macrocarpaea apparata Grant & Struwe, 2003 (gentian) Named after the verb "to apparate" made popular in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. As a wizard apparating out of nowhere, this 12-foot high plant appeared to botanists on a misty hillside in southern Ecuador. (More info here) [Harvard Papers in Botany 8: 61]

Ozraptor subotaii Long & Molnar, 1998 (theropod dinosaur) Named after Subotai, a swift-running thief from Conan the Barbarian, whose behavior this dinosaur is supposed to have emulated. ("Oz" in the genus name comes from a colloquial abbreviation of Australia.)

Pimoa cthulhu Hormiga, 1994 (spider) Named after H. P. Lovecraft's evil god.

Savignia naniplopi Bosselaers and Henderickx 2002 (linyphiid spider) "The species is named after the gnome (Latin 'nanus') Plop, a popular character from children's stories whose cap is similar in shape to the male cephalic snout of the present species." [Zootaxa 109:3]

Pseudolucia hazeorum Bálint and Johnson, 1993 (lycaenid) Referring both to the hazy wing color and to the Haze family from Lolita. Nabokov himself was an expert on lycaenids, particularly the genus Pseudolucia, which he named. Other lycaenid names derive from Nabokov stories, too, including:.

Madeleinea nodo, M. odon Bálint & Johnson, 1994 (lycaenid butterflies) Named after half-brothers in Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire, reflecting their close relatedness. Madeleinea cobaltana Bálint & Lamas, 1994 is named for Kobalt, a mountain resort in Pale Fire.

Madeleinea lolita Bálint, 1993,

Pseudolucia charlotte, P. clarea Bálint and Johnson, 1993, P. humbert Bálint and Johnson, 1995 (lycaenids) Named after characters in Nabokov's Lolita.

Paralycaeides hazelea Bálint & Johnson, 1995 and P. shade Bálint, 1993 (lycaenids) After characters in Nabokov's Pale Fire.

Itylos pnin Bálint, 1993 for Professor Pnin.

Nabokovia ada Bálint & Lamas, 1994, for the title character, and Madeleinea ardisensis Bálint & Lamas, 1996 named after Ardis Hall, a place in Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle.

Adelopsis dumbo Gnaspini & Peck 2001 (leiodid beetle) Named for the big-eared cartoon elephant, because the beetle's aedeagus, which resembles an elephant proboscis, has at its tip a very large lateral projection resembling an ear.

Albunione yoda Markham & Boyko, 2003 (parasitic isopod (Crustacea: Isopoda: Bopyroidea)) Named for Yoda of Star Wars fame. This species, found under the carapace of sand crabs, has large projectiog lateral flaps on the sides of its head that look like Yoda's ears.

Bambiraptor Burnham, Derstler, Currie, Bakker, Zhou & Ostrom, 2000 (theropod dinosaur) after Disney's Bambi, because of its small size. [U. Kansas Paleo contributions 13] (See also a dinosaur mailing list thread which includes much discussion of the appropriateness of the name.)

Celmus michaelmus Adrain & Fortey, 1997 (trilobite) Its abdominal apex looks like a Mouseketeer hat.

Ceraeochrysa michaelmuris Adams & Penny (lacewing) Its abdominal apex looks like a Mouseketeer hat.

Chloridops regiskongi James & Olson, 1991 (extinct Hawaiian finch) Described by a local journalist as "a real King Kong finch", thus the name.

Darthvaderum Hunt, 1996 (oribatid mite) "Etymology: When I saw the SEM [scanning electron micrograph] of the gnathosoma I immediately thought of Darth Vader, evil antihero of Star Wars." [Records of the Australian Museum 48: 303-324]

Eubetia boop Brown (tortricid moth)

Gojirasaurus Carpenter, 1997 (theropod dinosaur) "Gojira" is the Japanese name for Godzilla (but the dinosaur was found in New Mexico).

Godzillius Yager, 1986 (remipede crustacean) These are the largest such crustaceans, from underwater caves in the Bahamas. The family Godzilliidae takes its name from this genus.

Godzilligonomus Yager, 1989 (godzilliid) The smallest remipede. [Bull. of Marine Sci. 44(3):1195]

Han solo Turvey 2005 (agnostid trilobite) Officially, the genus is named after the Han Chinese (the fossil is from northern Hunan Province, China), and the species is so named because it appears to represent the last surviving member of the Diplagnostidae. Really, Turvey's friends dared him to name a species after a Star Wars character, as most of the characters' names sound like scientific names. [Trans. Royal Soc. Edinburgh: Earth Sci. 95: 527-542]

Pleomothra Yager, 1989 (godzilliid) Named after Mothra. [Bull. of Marine Sci. 44(3):1195]

Sinemys gamera Brinkman & Peng, 1993 (Japanese fossil turtle) Named after the giant Japanese fire-breathing flying turtle. The fossil has wing-like projections from its shell.

Hortipes terminator Bosselaers & Jacque (spider) The male's palps resemble a "futuristic gun."

Polemistus chewbacca Menke, 1983 (wasp)

Polemistus vaderi Menke, 1983 (wasp)

Agathidium vaderi Miller and Wheeler, 2004 (slime mold beetle) Its head resembles Darth Vader's helmet.

Agra sasquatch Erwin, 1982 (carabid) with big feet.

Agra yeti Erwin, 1982 (carabid) sister species of A. sasquatch.

Camelotia Galton, 1985 (Triassic prosauropod) from England; named for Camelot.

Campsicnemius uncleremus Evenhuis, 2000 (dolichopodid fly)

Cinderella Steyskal, 1949 (heleomyzid fly)

Crocidura cinderella (Cinderella shrew) from Africa.

Teleocichla cinderella Kullander 1988 (cichlid) "Named with reference to the coloration, gray and black, producing an ashy appearance" [Copeia, 196-230].

Thylamys cinderella (Cinderella fat-tailed opossum) from NW Argentina.

Dracaena draco (dragon tree)

Dracaena and Draco (lizards)

Dracunculus (round worm) Named after "draco", dragon. D. medinensis is the largest tissue parasite of man (it can grow longer than 3 feet). It is possible to extract the worm by winding it slowly, over a period of days or weeks, around a stick. This may be the source of the physician's caduceus. D. medinensis is on WHO's hit list and may soon be eradicated.

Gargoyleosaurus Carpenter, Miles, & Cloward, 1998 (ankylosaurid dinosaur)

Goniacodon? hiawathae Van Valen, 1978 (paleocene mammal) for Hiawatha, legendary founder of the Iriquois League.

Leprechaunus (treehopper)

Merlinia (trilobite) Named for King Arthur's wizard

Excalibosaurus McGowan, 1986 (Jurassic ichthyosaur) Named after King Arthur's sword. Excalibosaurus has a swordlike upper jaw, and it was found in Britain's west country, the place of the emergence of Excalibur.

Kikimora palustris Eskov, 1988 (spider) Kikimora is a dangerous female spirit in Slavic mythology who lives in marshes. "Palustris" means "of a marsh." [Zoologicheskyj Zhurnal 67: 678 (in Russian)]

Paroxyna babayaga Hering, 1938 (tephritid fruit fly) Named for the ugly Russian folklore monster Babayaga.

Polypterus mokelembembe Schafer and Schliewen 2006 (freshwater fish called bichir or reedfish) Named for the cryptozoological Congolese dinosaur-like creature Mokele-mbembe (featured, e.g., in the Disney movie "Baby"). The bichirs have been around since the time of the dinosaurs, and this particular species comes from the Congo. [Zootaxa 1129: 25-36]

Sanctacaris Briggs & Collins, 1988 (fossil primitive chelicerate) Literally "Santa claws" [see Gould, Wonderful Life, p. 186-187]

Vampyrodes (South American bat), Vampyressa (South American bat), Vampyrum (false vampire bat) The last is also misnamed, for it does not feed on blood.

Pteropus vampyrus (giant Malaysian fruit bat)

Leucothoe tolkieni G. Vinogradov, 1990 (amphipod) Named after J.R.R. Tolkien. [Vinogradov, G. M. 1990. Trudy instituta okeanologii AN SSSR (Transactions of the Inst. of Oceanology of the USSR Academy of Science) 124: 27-104 (in Russian).]

Aletodon mellon (Van Valen, 1978) (Paleocene mammal) "mellon," Elvish for "friend," was the password into Moria.

Ancalagon Conway Morris, 1977 (Cambrian priapulid) From a dragon from Tolkien.

Ankalagon Van Valen, 1980 (Paleocene mesonychid mammal) Renamed from Ancalagon because it was preoccupied.

Anisonchus eowynae Van Valen, 1978 (Paleocene mammal, synonym of A. athelas Van Valen 1978) for Éowyn, Princess of Rohan. "Athelas" was a Middle Earth healing plant.

Beorn Cooper, 1964 (fossil tartigrade) Named after the character Beorn from The Hobbit.

Bomburia Van Valen, 1978 (Paleocene mammal) for Bombur.

Bubogonia bombadili and Protoselene bombadili (Van Valen, 1978) (Paleocene mammals) after Tom Bombadil.

Claenodon mumak (Van Valen, 1978) (Paleocene mammal) after Mûmak, the Middle Earth elephant

Deltatherium durini Van Valen, 1978 (Paleocene mammal) Several notable Dwarves were named Durin.

Earendil Van Valen, 1978 (Paleocene mammal, synonym of Mimatuta Van Valen, 1978) for Eärendil, father of Elrond.

Elachista amrodella, E. aredhella, E. caranthirella, E. curufinella, E. daeronella, E. diorella, E. finarfinella, E. gildorella, E. indisella, E. maglorella, E. miriella, E. turgonella (Kaila 1999) (moths) Named after elves from Tolkien, respectively: Amrod (Amras' twin), Aredhel (The White Lady of Gondolin), Caranthir, Curufin, Daeron (Chief loremaster of Doriath), Dior (King of Doriath), Finarfin (Noldor King in Aman), Gildor Inglorion (High-Elf of Eriador & Imladris), Indis, Maglor, Miriel, Turgon (Lord of Nevrast, then Gondolin). Kaila mentions that Elves "one after other sailed over the water to the West, and were later difficult to see with human eyes," alluding to the studied moths, which are very inconspicuous and have spread to Nearctic areas. [Acta Zool. Fennica 211]

Fimbrethil ambaronae Van Valen, 1978 (Paleocene mammal, synonym of Oxyacodon agapetillus (Cope 1884)) Fimbrethil was an Ent-maiden; Ambaróna was a name for the Ents' forest.

Frodospira Wagner 1999 (Silurian gastropod) A small genus named after a certain hobbit. [Am. Malacological Bull. 15:1-31]

Galaxias gollumoides (fresh-water fish) Named after Gollum because it has large eyes and was found in a swamp.

Gollum Compagno, 1973 (catshark)

Gollumjapyx smeagol (dipluran hexapod)

Gwaihiria Nauman (diapriid wasp) Named for Gwaihir, Lord of the Eagles.

Litaletes ondolinde Van Valen, 1978 (Paleocene mammal) for Ondolindë, an Elven city.

Macrostyphlus frodo Morrone, 1994 (Andean weevil)

Macrostyphlus gandalf Morrone, 1994 (Andean weevil) [This and M. frodo are from American Museum Novitates 3104: 1-63.]

Mimotricentes mirielae Van Valen, 1978 (Paleocene mammal, synonym of Loxolophus hyattianus (Cope, 1885)) after Míriel, an Elf.

Mimatuta morgoth Van Valen, 1978 (Paleocene mammal) for the "dark enemy of the world."

Mimatuta minuial Van Valen, 1978 (Paleocene mammal) "minuial" is Elvish for dawn's twilight.

Mithrandir Van Valen, 1978 (Paleocene mammal) one of the names of the wizard Gandalf.

Niphredil radagasti Van Valen, 1978 (Paleocene mammal, now in genus Paleotomus) Niphredil is a small Middle Earth flower. Radagast the Brown was a wizard.

Osteoborus orc Webb, 1969 (Pliocene canid)

Oxyprimus galadrielae Van Valen, 1978 (arctocyonid Paleocene mammal) for elf Lady Galadriel.

Pericompsus bilbo Erwin (carabid) for the title character of The Hobbit. So called because "it was short, fat, and had hairy feet."

Platymastus palantir Van Valen, 1978 (Paleocene mammal) The palantír was a magical viewing stone.

Protungulatum gorgun Van Valen, 1978 (Paleocene mammal) "gorgûn" is a term for Orcs.

Smeagol Climo, 1980 (gastropod, family Smeagolidae) Another name for Gollum.

Smeagolia Hedqvist, 1973 (pteromalid wasp)

Syconycteris hobbit Ziegler, 1982 (moss-forest blossom bat) "The specific name is an appositive noun, alluding to certain analogies between the newly described species and another seldom-seen forest form, described by Tolkein (1937), one of whose chief distinguishing characteristics was also a thickly haired pes."

Thangorodrim thalion Van Valen (Paleocene mammal, synonym of Oxyclaenus Cope 1884) Thangorodrim are the three tallest towers of Endor; Thalion is a character from Tolkien's Silmarillion.

Tinuviel Van Valen (Paleocene mammal) for a most beautiful elf. The name is Elvish for nightingale.

Batman Whitley, 1956 (Australian fish) Refers to a similarity between this fish's dorsal fin and the "bats" with which servicemen used to signal approaching aircraft on a carrier, rather than the famous Dark Knight of the graphic novels. Batman has now been replaced with the older Cryptocentrus.

Otocinclus batmani Lehmann, 2006 (catfish) is named after the caped crusader, because of a bat-shaped mark on its tail. [Neotropical Ichthyology 4: 379]

Conus tribblei Walls, 1977 (marine snail) Named after a pet cat named "Tribbles", which was named after the furry creatures from Star Trek. [The Pariah 1: 1-3.]

Bidenichthys beeblebroxi Paulin, 1995 (triple-fin blenny) with a false head pattern.

Erechthias beeblebroxi Robinson & Nelson, 1993 (tineid) with a false head; after Zaphod Beeblebrox, two-headed character from Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Fiordichthys slartibartfasti Paulin, 1995 (brotulid, a deep-sea fish) Named for Hitchhiker's Guide character Slartibartfast, who is noted for designing fjords.

Geragnostus waldorfstatleri Turvey 2005 (trilobite) The pygidium (tail) looks just like the heads of Waldorf and Statler of "The Muppet Show." [Trans. Royal Soc. Edinburgh: Earth Sci. 95: 527-542]

Lepidopa luciae Boyko, 2002 (sand crab (Crustacea: Anomura: Albuneidae)) Boyko originally thought to name it for cartoonist Charles Schulz ("Peanuts") but Schulz's wife had the bright suggestion to name it for Lucy van Pelt as her character was known for being crabby. The monograph in which it is described includes an appropriate "Peanuts" strip.

Mestoronema Wagner 1999 (fossil snail) Named after the evil snail king on a Dr. Who episode. [Smithsonian Contrib. to Paleobiology 88:1-154] (Turnabout is fair play; the writers for Dr. Who often took animal names for their monsters -- crinoids, mandrills, Mara, etc.)

Ninjemys Gaffney, 1992 (fossil turtle) Etymology: "Ninja, in allusion to that totally rad, fearsome foursome epitomizing shelled success; emys, turtle."