Bufonaria borisbeckeri Parth, 1996 (bursid sea snail) Etymology: "Ich widme die neue Art Boris Becker, dem meines Erachtens größten deutschen Einzelsportler aller Zeiten." [Spixiana 19(1): 129]

Mastophora dizzydeani Eberhard, 1984 (spider) Named after a baseball player. The spider uses a sticky ball on the end of a thread to catch its prey.

Albunea groeningi Boyko, 2002 (sand crab (Crustacea: Anomura: Albuneidae)) named for Matt Groening, creator of "The Simpsons".

Campsicnemius charliechaplini Evenhuis, 1996 (dolichopodid fly) "Etymology: This species is named in honor of the great silent movie comedian, Charlie Chaplin, because of the curious tendency of this fly to die with its midlegs in a bandy-legged position." [Bishop Mus. Occ. Pap. 0(45):54]

Cuspicephalus scarfi Martill and Etches, 2011 (pterosaur) Named for artist/cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, whose caricatures mostly have very pointed noses.

Baeturia laureli and B. hardyi de Boer, 1996 (cicadas)

Garylarsonus (beetle)

Strigiphilus garylarsoni Clayton, ~1989 (owl louse) "I considered this an extreme honor. Besides, I knew no one was going to write and ask to name a new species of swan after me. You have to grab these opportunities when they come along." - Gary Larson

Serratoterga larsoni (Ecuadorian butterfly) also after cartoonist Gary Larson.

Montypythonoides riversleighensis Smith & Plane, 1985 (fossil snake) The genus is no longer valid; this species is now called Morelia riversleighensis.

Sula abbotti costelloi Steadman, Schubel & Pahlavan, 1988 (a subspecies of Abbot's booby, recently extinct)

Anatoma tobeyoides Geiger & Jansen, 2004 (snail) Named for American abstract expressionist painter Mark Tobey, because the sculpture on the snail shell is reminiscent of his work.

Effigia okeeffeae Nesbitt 2007. (Archosaur) from Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, near where the artist Georgia O'Keeffe lived.

Elysia manriquei (sea slug from Lanzarote) Named in honor of artist Cesar Manrique "for the architecture and colorful designs of its body"

Microchilo elgrecoi Bleszynski, 1966 (crambid moth) After the Spanish painter El Greco. [Acta Zool. Cracoviensia 11: 451]

Microchilo murilloi Bleszynski, 1966 (crambid moth) After the Mexican painter Murillo (Dr. Atl). [Acta Zool. Cracoviensia 11: 451]

Pseudoparamys cezannei Hartenberger, 1987 (Ischyromyidae, extinct rodent)

Raphaelana Girault (wasp)

Pseudocatharylla gioconda Bleszynski, 1964 (crambid moth) "Described from a unique female" and "very distinctive." [Acta Zool. Cracoviensia 11: 683]

Aptostichus edwardabbeyi Bond 2012 (trapdoor spider) Named for author and environmentalist Edward Abbey.

Aesopichthys Poplin & Lund, 2000 (fossil actinopterygian fish) Named for Aesop.

Aligheria Girault (wasp) named for Dante Aligheri.

Serendipaceratops arthurcclarkei Rich & Vickers-Rich, 2003 (Cretaceous ceratopsian dinosaur from Australia). Named for sci-fi author Arthur C. Clark, who in 1956 emigrated to Ceylon/Sri Lanka, formerly known as Serendib.

Arthurdactylus conandoylensis Frey & Martill, 1994 (Brazilian pterosaur) Named after Arthur Conan Doyle in honor of his story The Lost World, which is set in jungle similar to where the fossil was found, and in which a living pterosaur is brought back to London.

Draculoides bramstokeri Harvey & Humphreys, 1995 (schizomid) Bram Stoker was the author of Dracula.

Carlyleia Girault, 1916 (eulophid wasp) named for Thomas Carlyle.

Crichtonsaurus Dong, 2002 (ankylosaur dinosaur) Named after Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton.

Cedrorestes crichtoni Gilpin et al., 2007 (hadrosaurid dinosaur)

Bienosaurus crichtonii, 2000 [nomen nudum] (small biped dinosaur) Named after Michael Crichton, but not published with a description. Reassigned to B. lufengensis Dong, 2001.

Cyclocepahala casanova Ratcliffe and Cave, 2009 (scarab beetle) So named for the heart-shaped mark on its wing covers.

Emersonella Girault, 1916 (eulophid wasp) named for Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Goethaeana Girault, 1920 (eulophid wasp) named for Johann Goethe. One species is G. shakespearei.

Podocyrtis goetheana (Haeckel), Riedel and Sanfilippo, 1970 (Eocene diatom)

Ibyka Skog and Banks, 1973 (fossil plant) "from the poet Ibykos whose murder was revealed by cranes. This plant was only discovered because of quarrying operations [involving a different sort of crane] for the construction of Gilboa dam." [Amer. J. Bot. 60: 368.]

Keatsia Girault (wasp) named for poet John Keats.

Goniopholis kiplingi Andrade, 2011 (Cretaceous crocodile) in recognition of Rudyard Kipling's enthusiasm for natural sciences.

Idiomacromerus longfellowi Girault, 1917 (torymid wasp) Named after Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Ablerus longfellowi (wasp)

Livyatan melvillei Lambert et al. 2010 (fossil sperm whale) Named for the author of Moby Dick, which book includes, in addition to its famous whale, a chapter on whale fossils.

Nabokovia (lycaenid butterfly) Named after Vladimir Nabokov, himself an entomologist who studied butterflies in the same subfamily. See also Names from Fictional Characters for butterfly names derived from Nabokov's writings.

Plato Coddington, 1986 (spider)

Plutarchia Girault, 1925 (eurytomid wasp) named for classical biographer Plutarch.

Richteria Girault, 1920 (mymarid wasp) named for German humorist and novelist Jean Richter.

Sappho Reichenbach, 1849 (hummingbird)

Heliconius sapho (Drury 1782) (butterfly) Both named for Sappho, the famous Greek poet.

Shakespearia Girault, 1928 (encyrtid wasp)

Legionella shakespearei Verma et al., 1992 (bacterium)

Psephophorus terrypratchetti Köhler, 1995 (Eocene fossil turtle) Terry Pratchett wrote a series of fantasy books set on a world carried on the back of a giant turtle. [J. Royal Soc. N.Z. 25:371]

Tetramorium adamsi Hita Garcia & Fisher, 2012 (ant) Named for Douglas Adams, best known for "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series. [Zootaxa 3592: 51]

Thoreauia Girault (wasp) named for Henry David Thoreau.

Beethovena Girault, 1932 (encyrtid wasp)

Mozartella beethoveni Girault, 1926 (encyrtid wasp)

Gnathia beethoveni Paul & Menzies, 1971 (isopod)

Bishopina mozarti Bonaduce, Masoli & Pugliese, 1978 (ostracod)

Fernandocrambus chopinellus Bleszynski, 1967 (crambid moth) [Acta Zool. Cracoviensia 12: 39]

Salinoctomys loschalchalerosorum Mares, Braun, Barquez & Díaz, 2000 (Chalchalero Viscacha rat) "named for the great Argentine folklore group, 'Los Chalchaleros,' in honor of their 52 years singing the traditional music of western Argengina, its habitats, and its history." [Mares et al., 2000. Occasional Papers, Museum of Texas Tech University 203: i+27]

Terebellides sepultura Garrafoni & Lana, 2003 (polychaete worm) Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band.

Funkotriplogynium iagobadius Seeman & Walter, 1997 (mite) from Iago, "James" and badius, "brown," named after James Brown, the King of Funk.

Milesdavis Lieberman, 1994 (trilobite) [Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 0(223) 1-176].

Gnathia marleyi Sikkel 2012 (parasitic isopod) Named after reggae musician Bob Marley. "I named this species, which is truly a natural wonder, after Marley because of my respect and admiration for Marley's music. Plus, this species is as uniquely Caribbean as was Marley."

Agra beegees Erwin (ground beetle)

Petula Clark, 1971 (tineid)

Mackenziurus johnnyi, M. joeyi, M. deedeei, M. ceejayi Adrian and Edgecombe, 1997 (trilobites) Named after the Ramones.

Amphinema rollinsi Widmer, 2007 (jellyfish) Henry Rollins was the lead singer of the seminal Punk Rock band Black Flag.

Anacroneuria carole and A. taylori Stark, 2004 (stoneflies) Named after Carole King and James Taylor, respectively.

Aptostichus bonoi Bond 2012 (trapdoor spider) Named for the lead singer of the band U2.

Avalanchurus simoni and A. garfunkeli Adrain & Edgecombe, 1997 (trilobites)

Chiromantes garfunkel Davie & Ng, 2013 (Garfunkel's bright-eyed crab) Named for Art Garfunkel in tribute to his song "Bright Eyes". [Zootaxa 3609:1]

Avalanchurus lennoni, A. starri Edgecombe & Chatterton, 1993 (trilobites) Named for Beatles John Lennon and Ringo Starr.

Bushiella (Jugaria) beatlesi Rzhavsky, 1993 (Annelida, spirorbid)

Greeffiella beatlei Lorenzen, 1969 (nematode) Lorenzen doesn't state the etymology, but the worm's shagginess suggests a Beatles haircut.

Struszia mccartneyi Edgecombe & Chatterton, 1993 (trilobite) for Paul McCartney.

Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae Lessard 2011 (horse fly) Named after singer-songwriter Beyoncé Knowles, inspired by her hit single "Bootylicious" and the dense patch of golden hairs on the fly's abdomen.

Elvisaurus Holmes, 1993 [nomen nudum] (Antarctic dinosaur) so called for it's 'pompadour-like' crest. Now Cryolophosaurus.

Preseucoila imallshookupis Buffington, 2004 (gall wasp) The genus is named after Elvis Presley, the specific name for one of his songs.

Aegrotocatellus jaggeri Adrain & Edgecombe, 1995 (trilobite) for Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger. See also the genus etymology.

Anomphalus jaggerius Plas, 1972 (fossil gastropod) [J. of Paleo. 46: 249-260]

Perirehaedulus richardsi Adrain & Edgecombe, 1995 (trilobite) for Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.

Arcticalymene viciousi, A. rotteni, A. jonesi, A. cooki, A. matlocki Adrian and Edgecombe, 1997 (trilobites) for the Sex Pistols. [J. Paleo. 71(4)]

Depressizona exorum Geiger, 2003 (snail) named after the Dutch post-punk-white-noise band "The Ex". The band later featured this snail on their CD "The Turn".

Dicrotendipes thanatogratus Epler, 1987 (chironomid) From Gk "thanatos", dead, and Latin "gratus", grateful; after the Grateful Dead.

Cryptocercus garciai Burnside, Smith and Kambhampati, 1998 (wood roach) named for Grateful Dead lead singer Jerry Garcia. [WWW J. of Biol. 4-1] (There's also an asteroid named Garcia, shortly after his death.)

Gaga germanotta Li et al., 2012 (fern) Named after Lady Gaga "because of her fervent defense of equality and individual expression." Lady Gaga's given name is Stefani Germanotta. Another species in the genus, Gaga monstraparva, honors Lady Gaga's fans, whom see calls "little monsters." [Syst. Bot. 37: 845]

Aleiodes gaga Butcher et al. 2012 (braconid wasp) "in honour of popular singer and performer Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga". [Zootaxa 3457]

Heteropoda davidbowie P. Jaeger, 2009 (large Malaysian spider) for singer David Bowie.

Hyla stingi Kaplan, 1994 (Columbian tree frog) Named after the British rock star Sting in recognition of his work for the rain forest.

Kalloprion kilmisteri Eriksson 2006 (fossil polychaete) Named after Lemmy Kilmister of the heavy metal band Motörhead.

Macrocarpaea dies-viridis J.R. Grant, 2007 (gentian) for the punk rock group Green Day. [Harvard Papers in Biology 11: 129.]

Masiakasaurus knopfleri Sampson, 2001 (theropod dinosaur) Named after Dire Straits singer/songwriter Mark Knopfler. Sampson said, "Whenever we played Dire Straits in the quarry, we found more Masiakasaurus, and when we played something else, we didn't." Knopfler replied, "The fact that it's a dinosaur is certainly apt, but I'm happy to report that I'm not in the least bit vicious." ("Masiaka" is Malagasy for "vicious.")

Mercurana Abraham et al. 2013 (tree frog) Commemorating Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the rock band Queen, who spent much of his childhood in Panchgani, India, where the frog was discovered. [Zootaxa 3640: 177.]

Cirolana mercuryi N. Bruce, 2004 (East African isopod) Named for Freddy Mercury, "arguably Zanzibar's most famous popular musician and singer."

Taeniopteryx mercuryi Fochetti & Paolo Nicolai, 1996 (stonefly) Also for Freddy Mercury.

Mesoparapylocheles michaeljacksoni Klompmaker et. al. 2012 (fossil hermit crab) discovered on the same day that the researchers learned of pop superstar Michael Jackson's death, and named in his honor.

Metallichneumon neurospastarchus Wahl and Sime, 2002 (ichneumonid wasp) "Neurospastarchus" translates as "Master of Puppets," which is the seminal album by the thrash metal band Metallica. The name refers to the larval ichneumonid's manipulation of its host insect.

Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi Bond and Platnick, 2007 (trap-door spider) for rock musicial Neil Young [Am. Mus. Novitates 3596: 1].

Orectochilus orbisonorum Miller, Mazzoldi & Wheeler, 2008 (whirligig beetle) Named for singer Ray Orbison and his widow Barbara. It's tuxedo-like elegant appearance is one reason for the naming.

Pseudocorinna brianeno Jocque & Bosselaers, 2011 (spider) after the musican Brian Eno.

Qiliania graffini Ji et al., 2011 (Cretaceous entiornithine bird) Named for Greg Graffin, a paleontologist and member of the punk rock group Bad Religion, at the suggestion of coauthor Jingmai O'Connor, a longtime fan of the band.

Villa manillae Evenhuis, 1993 (bee fly) Inspired by Millie Vanillie. [Idesia 12:19]

Xanthosomnium froesei Sime and Wahl, 2002 (ichneumonid wasp) "Xanthosomnium" is a translation of the synth band Tangerine Dream. The species is "named after Edgar Froese, the founder and continuity behind Tangerine Dream."

Vunicothoe Boyko 2009 (copepod) From Nicothe, an existing copepod genus (named, incidentally, for a harpie from Greek myth), plus VU for Velvet Underground, in homage to the 1967 album "The Velvet Underground and Nico" [Proc. of the Biol. Soc. of Wash. 122: 206]

Zappa (Roberts), 1989 (goby) "in honour of Frank Zappa for his articulate and sagacious defense of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution." [Rec. of Austrl. Museum suppl 11: 53] Murdy, who renamed the genus, also says, "I like his music."

Amaurotoma zappa Plas, 1972 (fossil gastropod) [J. Paleo. 46: 249-260]

Oenonites zappae Eriksson 1997 (fossil polychaete)

Pachygnatha zappa Bosmans and Bosselaers, 1994 (orb-weaver spider) It has a black marking under its abdomen curiously reminiscent (at least to Bosmans and Bosselaers) of Frank Zappa's mustache.

Phialella zappai Boero, 1987 (jellyfish) Named as part of Ferdinando Boero's plan to get to meet Frank Zappa. "There is nothing I'd like better than having a jellyfish named after me" - Frank Zappa. (details) [J. Nat. Hist. 21: 465]

There is also an asteroid named "3834 Zappafrank" ("16745 Zappa" is named after astronomer Giovanni Zappa.)

Agra catbellae Erwin, 2002 (ground beetle) Named for Catherine Bell, actress in the TV program "JAG", because the beetles share the forest with jaguars.

Agra katewinsletae Erwin, 2002 (ground beetle) For actress Kate Winslet, "starlet of the movie Titanic. Her character did not go down with the ship, but we will not be able to say the same for this elegant canopy species, if all the rain forest is converted to pastures." [Zootaxa 119: 1-68.]

Agra liv Erwin, 2002 (carabid) "The first name of the actress Liv Tyler, starlet of the movie, Armageddon. The existence of this species of elegant beetle is dependent upon the rainforest not undergoing an Armageddon ..."

Agra schwarzeneggeri Erwin, 2002 (carabid) "The family name of the actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in reference to the markedly developed (biceps-like) middle femora of the males of this species reminiscent of the actor's physique."

Aptostichus angelinajolieae Bond, 2008 (trapdoor spider) after actress Angelina Jolie.

Attenborosaurus Bakker, 1993 (plesiosaur) "in honor of the naturalist and filmmaker David Attenborough, whose childhood fascination with Liassic plesiosaurs sparked a brilliant career in scientific journalism."

Agapornis attenboroughi Manegold 2013 (Pliocene parrot)

Ctenocheloides attenboroughi Anker, 2010 (ghost shrimp)

Materpiscis attenboroughi 2008 (Devonian fish) Sir David Attenborough drew attention to the site of the fossil on his "Life on Earth" series. The type specimen was preserved giving birth, hence the genus name, which means "mother fish." [Nature 453: 650]

Nepenthes attenboroughii Robinson et al., 2009 (giant pitcher plant) from the highlands of central Philippines. Named for Sir David Attenborough.

Prethopalpus attenboroughi Baehr & Harvey, 2012 (goblin spider)

Zaglossus attenboroughi Flannery and Groves 1998 (long-beaked echidna from New Guinea) Named after well-known wildlife presenter David Attenborough. It is known from only one specimen collected in 1961 and may now be extinct. [Mammalia, vol. 62]

Avahi cleesei 2005 (woolly lemur) Named for actor/comedian John Cleese, who played a lemur-happy zookeeper in the film Fierce Creatures, hosted a documentary on lemurs, and is concerned with wildlife conservation.

Baru darrowi Willis , Murray and Megirian, 1990 (Miocene semi-aquatic crocodylian from Australia) Honoring Paul Darrow, British actor "best known for his role in the television series 'Blake's Seven', in recognition of his support of continuing palaeontological investigation of the Riversleigh deposits" [Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 29, 522.] Baru is an aboriginal name for a crocodile ancestor.

Calponia harrisonfordi Platnick, 1993 (caponiid spider) Named after Harrison Ford in appreciation of his narrating a documentary.

Coloborhynchus spielbergi Veldmeijer 2003 (pterosaur) Honoring Steven Spielberg, director of the "Jurassic Park" movies.

Harryhausenia Boyko, 2004 (fossil sand crab (Crustacea: Anomura: Albuneidae)) for movie animator Ray Harryhausen (7th Voyage of Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts, etc.). He animated a sand crab for the movie "The Mysterious Island."

Hydroscapha redfordi Maier et al. 2010 (beetle) Named for Robert Redford, who played Jeremiah Johnson, whom the authors (mistakenly) believed was the source of the name of the Jerry Johnson Hot Springs where the beetle was discovered, but also for his support of conservation in the Rocky Mountains. [Coleopterists Bulletin 64: 289]

Pheidole harrisonfordi Wilson, 2002 (ant) Named in recognition of Harrison Ford's involvement (as Vice Chairman) in Conservation International.

Norasaphus monroeae Fortey (trilobite) after Marilyn Monroe; it has an hourglass shaped glabella.

Orsonwelles othello, O. macbeth, O. falstaffius, O. ambersonorum Hormiga, 2002 (giant Hawaiian linyphiid spiders). These species are named after famous Orson Welles roles. Hormiga named the genus after Welles because he was a giant of filmmaking.

Orsonwelles bellum, O. malas, O. toledus Hormiga, 2002 (linyphiid spiders). Named in reference to famous Orson Welles works -- "The War of the Worlds", "Touch of Evil", and "Citizen Kane", respectively.

Rostropria garbo Early (diapriid wasp) Described from "a solitary female".

Utahraptor spielbergi Bonar, Lassieur, McCafferty & Voci, ~1992 [nomen nudum] (theropod dinosaur) Named after Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg. The raptors in the movie were larger than any then known, until this raptor was announced the week the movie premiered. Apparently, it was not adequately described in the rush to name it. Reassigned to U. ostrommaysorum Kirkland, Gaston & Burge, 1993.

Astraptes viracocha Brower 2010 (skipper butterfly) "The name viracocha, a noun in apposition, is the name of a bearded white god of the Incas. The species is named for Dan Janzen." [Syst. Biodivers. 8: 486]

Bobkabata kabatabobbus Hogans & Benz, 1990 (parasitic copepod) Named after parasitologist Bob Kabata.

Cartwrightia cartwrighti Cartwright, 1967 (scarab beetle) Islas established the genus in 1958 in honor of coleopterist Oscar L. Cartwright, who later named this species for his brother.

Carukia barnesi Southcott, 1967 (jellyfish) Notable because the research that earned Dr. Jack Barnes the honorific also earned him a Darwin Award honorable mention.

Chrysina cavei Hawks & Bruyea, 1999 (scarab) Named after collaborator and friend Ronald Cave, who was always cold when working in the cloud forests. Hawks said, "This species' blue tarsi remind me of Ron's perpetual cold feet!"

Dransfieldia (palm) and Soejatmia (grass). The only husband and wife botanists who both have plant genera named in their honor are John Dransfield and Soejatmi Dransfield.

Euphorbia ballyana Rauh, 1966, E. ballyi Carter, 1963, and E. proballyana Leach, 1968 (African plants) Three species in one genus named for the same person, botanist Peter R.O. Bally.

Gomphonema lange-bertalotii Reichardt and Gomphonema reichardtii Lange-Bertalot (diatoms) Taxonomists honoring each other within the same genus.

Hoia hoi Avdeev & Kazatchenko, 1986 (parasitic copepod) Named after Ju-Shey Ho.

Navicula austrocollegarum Lange-Bertalot & R.Voigt (diatom) To honor all the austrian colleagues of the author.

Roloffia (Roloffia) roloffi roloffi (Roloff, 1936) (freshwater fish) The fish had this designation only for a while. It was originally Aphyosemion roloffi Roloff 1936, and is now in genus Scriptaphyosemion. [Wochenschrift Aquar.-Terr. 33(25): 387] (Roloff also named Rivulus roloffi after himself [1938, Wochenschrift Aquar.-Terr. 35: 597.)

Solanum baretiae Tepe, Ridley, and Bohs, 2012 (understory vine) Jeanne Baret, in 1766 when French law prohibited women aboard naval vessels, disguised herself as a man to work with botanist Philibert Commerson on a three-year expedition commanded by Louis Antoine de Bougainville. An accomplished botanist in her own right, she also became the first woman to circumnavigate the world.

Tessmannianthus quadridomius Wurdack, 1989 (flowering plant: Melastomataceae) Dr. José Cuatrecasas, a botanist at the Smithsonian, was an important collector of plants in Colombia and had many species named after him, all of them "cuatrecasasii". When a colleague wanted to make an original tribute, he translated "Cuatrecasas" ("four houses" in English) into Latin, hence "quadridomius." [Revista Acad. Colomb. Ci. Exact. 14(65):247]

Thiara carolitaciturni (snail) Named after the Dutch zoologist Karel Dammerman, who was famous among his colleagues for being shy and retiring, i.e., taciturn.

Archimedes Lesueur, 1842 (bryozoan with a corkscrew support)

Brahea Mart. (palm) Named for Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe.

Celsia Linnaeus (Mediterranean subshrub) Named after the Celsius to whom the centigrade thermometer is credited, who was also an amateur botanist and a mentor to Linnaeus. In Celsius's original scale, water freezes at 100 and boils at zero. Linnaeus himself was the first to propose the inverted scale that we use today.

Copernicia (palm) After the astronomer Copernicus.

Crikey steveirwini Stanisic, 2009 (land snail) In honor of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin and his famous catch-cry. [Zootaxa 2206: 62]

Trypanosoma irwini McInnes et. al. 2009 (trypanosome) named after Steve Irwin.

Dawkinsia Pethiyagoda et al. 2012 (cyprinid fish) Named for Richard Dawkins. [Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters 23: 69.]

Cyclocephala freudi Endrödi, 1963 (scarab)

Lepithrix freudi Schein, 1959 (scarab)

Conyza montigena var. fosseyae Beentje, 2002 (Compositae) after Dian Fossey, of gorilla fame, who collected the type specimen.

Gaussia H. Wendl. (palm) honoring German mathematician Karl Friedrich Gauss. (Also an asteriod, 1001 Gaussia.)

Haeckeliania Girault, 1912 (trichogrammatid wasp) named for Ernst Haeckel.

Hippocratea (tropical vine) and its family Hippocrateaceae, named after Hippocrates.

Leonardo davincii Bleszynski, 1965 (pyralid moth)

Janibacter hoylei (bacterium) named after astrophysicist Fred Hoyle. The bacterium was found in the upper stratosphere.

Linnaea borealis Gronovius (twinflower) Linnaeus wrote, "Linnaea . . . is a plant of Lapland, lowly, insignificant, disregarded, flowering but for a brief space -- from Linnaeus who resembles it." It was mock modesty; Linnaeus arranged for the plant to be named for him.

Megachile chomskyi Sheffield, 2013 (leafcutter bee) Named for linguist Noam Chomsky.

Pasteurella (plague bacterium) Named for French chemist Louis Pasteur.

Phalacrocorax aristotelis (L., 1761) (European shag) named for Aristotle.

Rothschildia Grote, 1896 (saturniid moth) According to Steve Jones in Almost Like a Whale (1999), renowned 19th century naturalist Lord Walter Rothschild (founder of the Tring Museum) has 153 insects, 58 birds, 18 mammals, 3 fish, 3 spiders, 2 reptiles, 1 millipede and 1 worm named after him.

Silurus aristotelis (Agassiz, 1857) (Aristotle's catfish) Named after Aristotle, who was the first to describe the reproductive behavior of this endemic Greek fish.

Thomashuxleya Ameghino, 1901 (Eocene mammal)

Wallacea darwini Hill, 1919 (stratiomyid fly) There are more than 120 species (and 9 genera) named after Darwin. This species is named also after Alfred Russel Wallace, co-discover of the theory of evolution.

Wodyetia bifurcata (foxtail palm) named after Wodyeti, last aboriginal to live in the Melville Range area in Queensland, Australia, and last to hold the traditional native knowledge of the area.

Brachypanorpa sacajawea Byers, 1990 (Rocky Mountain scorpionfly) named for Lewis and Clark's guide and interpreter.

Clarkia Pursh (flower, Onagraceae) for Captain William Clark.

Doronomyrmex pocahontas Buschinger 1979 (ant) Named for Princess Matoaka, precocious daughter of Chief Powhatan who served as a bridge between the Native Americans and the English settlers of Jamestown. She is better known by her father's nickname for her, Pocahontas, which means "little mischievous one." The ant, from Alberta, Canada, is a threatened species.

Agathidium pocahontasae Miller and Wheeler, 2005 (slime mold beetle) Named for a county in Virginia which was named for Pocahontas. [Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 291.]

Lewisia (bitterroot) for Meriwether Lewis.

Mammuthus columbi Falconer, 1857 (Columbian mammoth) Named after Christopher Columbus. It was widespread in southern North America in the late Pleistocene.

Buddhaites Diener, 1895 (mollusk)

Barilius buddhae Fowler, 1934 (cyprinid fish) "found near a cave sacred to Buddha".

Confucius Distant, 1907 (bug)

Confuciusornis sanctus Hou, Zhou, Gu, and Gang, 1995 (feathered dinosaur) "holy Confucius' bird".

Tianyulong confuciusi Zheng et al., 2009 (Chinese Cretaceous heterodontosaurid dinosaur)

Dalailama Staudinger, 1896 (bombycid moth) from Tibet.

Dalai-Lama C. Mereschkowsky 1906 (diatom)

Orontobia dalailama De Freina, 1997 (tiger moth) from Tibet. "Origo nominis: la nouvelle espèce est dédiée au chef spirituel et politique du peuple tibétain actuellement opprimé: sa Sainteté le Dalai Lama."

Kerygmachela kierkegaardi Budd, 1998 (Cambrian arthropod)

Lutheria Girault (wasp) named for Martin Luther.

Marxella Girault, 1932 (encyrtid wasp) named for Karl Marx.

Petrochirus diogenes (caribbean hermit crab) for the Cynic philosopher Diogenes of Sinope.

Plato (spider)

Socratea (palm) Named after Socrates.

Zanabazar Norell et al., 2009 (troodontid dinosaur from Mongolia) Named in honor of Zanabazar, first spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism in Outer Mongolia.

Agathidium bushi, A. cheneyi and A. rumsfeldi Miller and Wheeler, 2005 (slime mold beetles) Named after the U.S. president, vice president, and defense secretary.

Agathidium cortezi Miller and Wheeler (slime mold beetle) for conquistador Hernan Cortez, conquerer of the Aztec empire and colonial administrator of New Spain.

Allendia Noonan, 1974 (carabid) Named after Chilean president Salvador Allende.

Anolis (Xiphosurus) roosevelti Grant, 1931 (lizard) from Puerto Rico; possibly extinct. It is named in honor of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., who was then governor of Puerto Rico.

Anophthalmus hitleri Scheibel, 1933 (blind cave beetle) Named by an amateur entomologist admirer of the Fürher (though Dutch biologist/writer Midas Dekkers suggests that naming a blind cave beetle after Hitler was an attempt to ridicule him). It is found in only five Slovenian caves and is endangered by collectors of Hitler memorabilia. [Entomologische Blätter 33: 438]

Roechlingia hitleri Guthörl, 1934 (paleodictyopteran) See Canad. J. Zool. 61:1684-86 for discussion of appropriateness of the name. That article considers it a junior synonym of Sclepasma gigas Handlirsch, 1911.

Aptostichus chavezi Bond 2012 (trapdoor spider) Named for labor and civil rights activist César Chávez.

Arsinoetherium (Oligocene ungulate) Named for the Egyptian-Ptolemaic queen Arsinoe near whose palace the first remains were found.

Caligula (saturniid moth)

Crinopseudoa caligula Jocqué & Bosselaers, 2011(spider)

Cleopatrodon Bown and Simons, 1987 (Eocene mammal from Egypt) named after Cleopatra.

Cheguevaria Kazantsev, 2006 (firefly) "The new genus is named after E. 'Che' Guevara, the legendary Latin American revolutionary, very popular in the Caribbean region." [Russian Entomol. J. 5(4): 367-392.]

Crocidura attila Dollman, 1915 (Hun shrew)

Crocidura roosevelti Heller, 1910 (Roosevelt's shrew) from Africa; named after Theodore Roosevelt. Also named after Teddy:

Cervus canadensis roosevelti (Roosevelt or Olympic elk) The largest surviving North American elk subspecies.

Muntiacus rooseveltorum Osgood, 1932 (Laotian barking deer) discovered by one of Theodore Roosevelt's sons on a 1929 hunting trip, and named for the president.

Pheidole (Electropheidole) roosevelti Mann, 1921 (Roosevelt's ant) from Fiji.

Stenomorpha roosevelti Smith, Miller & Wheeler 2010 (darkling beetle) named in Teddy Roosevelt's honor on the 100th anniversary of a speech he gave at Tempe Normal School, now Arizona State University.

Dasyurus spartacus Van Dyck, 1987 (bronze quoll)

Diamphipnoa colberti Stark, 2008 (stonefly) for Stephen Colbert, of The Colbert Report. [Illiesia 4(4): 55.]

Agaporomorphus colberti Wheeler & Miller, 2009 (diving beetle) Wheeler said, "Last year, Stephen shamelessly asked the science community to name something cooler than a spider to honor him. His top choices were a giant ant or a laser lion. While those would be cool species to discover, our research involves beetles, and they are 'way cooler' than a spider any day."

Aptostichus stephencolberti Bond & Stockman 2008 (trapdoor spider)

Equus grevyi Oustalet 1882 (Grevy's zebra) Named after Jules Grevy (1807-1891), president of France from 1879-1887. The president of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) sent the type specimen to France in 1882, the first zebra seen in Europe since Roman times.

Etheostoma teddyroosevelt, E. jimmycarter, E. clinton, E. gore, and E. obama Layman & Mayden, 2012 (darters) Named after former and current U.S. leaders who have worked to promote conservation and environmental protection. [Bull. Alabama Mus. Nat. Hist. 30: 1.]

Gazella bilkis Groves & Lay, 1985 (gazelle, recently extinct) for King Solomon's paramour Bilkis, the Queen of Sheba. The gazelle came from Yemen, which may have been Sheba.

Franklinia Bartram, ~1770 (tree, Theaceae) Named after Ben Franklin. Extinct in the wild shortly after its discovery when the one grove of the trees (on the Altamaha R., GA) was cleared for farmland, but the Bartrams preserved seeds, and the tree is now a widespread ornamental.

Gentiana L., 1753 (gentian) The genus is the Greek name of the plant, which comes from Gentius, the last king of Illyria, who reputedly discovered its medicinal properties.

Glaucopsyche xerces Boisduval, 1852 (Xerces blue butterfly) an extinct butterfly from the coastal sand dunes of San Francisco. The Xerces name derives from the French spelling of Xerxes, the name of two Persian kings of the fifth century BC.

Godiva MacNae, 1954 (nudibranch) Yes, the "nud-" in nudibranch means naked.

Grimaldichthys profondissimus Roule, 1913 (deep sea fish),
Grimalditeuthis bonplandi Joubin, 1898 (transparent squid),
Lepidoteuthis grimaldii Joubin, 1895 (squid) Named after the Grimaldi family, reigning house of Monaco. His Serene Highness Prince Albert I of Monaco was an amateur teuthologist who pioneered the study of deep sea squids by collecting the 'precious regurgitations' of sperm whales. He collected the first two himself, G. profondissimus by trawling at a depth of 19,800 feet (a fishing depth record at the time). L. grimaldii was first collected from the stomach contents of a whale.

Grotiusomyia Girault, 1917 (eulophid wasp) Named for Hugo Grotius, Dutch jurist, statesman and codifier of international law.

Harpagus Vigors, 1824 (tropical American kite) Named for the Median general Harpagus.

Horaglanis abdulkalami (catfish) Honoring former Indian president Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for his contributions to science and science education.

Hyloscirtus princecharlesi Coloma, 2012 (Prince Charles stream tree frog) from Ecuador, honoring Prince Charles for his efforts towards rainforest conservation.

Jeffersonia (L.) Pers., 1792 (twinleaf) Named when Thomas Jefferson was Secretary of State. The citation stated that "in botany and zoology, the information of this gentleman is equalled by few persons in the United States."

Chesapectin jeffersonius 1842 (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene scallop) The Virginia state fossil and the first North American fossil illustrated in a scientific publication, Martin Lister's 1687 Historiae Conchyliorum.

Mammuthus jeffersonii Osborn, 1922 (mammoth) Named after Thomas Jefferson.

Megalonyx jeffersonii Desmarest, 1822 (ground sloth) Thomas Jefferson acquired a "great claw" from a West Virginia cave and, in 1796, his letter about it was read at the American Philosophical Society meeting. (Jefferson thought it was a lion.) This is the earliest record of American vertebrate paleontology. Jefferson asked Lewis and Clark to look for a living Megalonyx on their expedition. By then, more complete remains had shown it was not a lion, but he still didn't know its great age.

Jenghizkhan Olshevsky vide Olshevsky, Ford & Yamamoto, 1995 (Mongolian tyrannosaurid) named for Genghis Khan. (now syn. with Tarbosaurus)

Jubaea (palm) named after king Juba II of Mauretania (82 BC - 23 AD), writer of some books on natural history, possibly first explorer of Madeira and the Canary Islands, and married to Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Euphorbia regis-jubae Webb and Berthelott (medicinal plant), one of Juba's discoveries, is also named after him.

Khruschevia ridicula Flower (worm) Named by its discoverer Rousseau H. Flower to show his dislike of former Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev and the Communist Party in general.

Lincolna Girault (pteromalid wasp) named for Abraham Lincoln.

Mandelia Valdes & Gosliner, 1999 (sea slug) in honor of Nelson Mandela, who led the struggle for multiracial government in South Africa. Also named for him:

Anelosimus nelsoni I. Agnarsson, 2006 (spider)

Australopicus nelsonmandelai Manegold et al. 2012 (early Pliocene woodpecker) "a sort of scientific present for his 94th birthday."

Singafrotypa mandela Kuntner & Hormiga, 2002 (spider)

Stasimopus mandelai Hendrixson & Bond, 2004 (trapdoor spider)

Mitra kamehameha Pilsbry, 1921 (Indo-Pacific marine mollusc) Named for King Kamehameha I, who unified the Hawaiian islands and presided over the opening of Hawaii to the rest of the world.

Maotherium Rougier, Ji, and Novacek, 2003 (Cretaceous symmetrodont mammal from China). Named for Communist revolutionary and leader Mao Tse-Deng.

Maxillaria gorbatchowii (Bolivian orchid) Named after Mikhail Gorbachev.

Napoleonaea imperialis (bromeliad)

Obamadon Longrich et al., 2012 (Cretaceous lizard)

Aptostichus barackobamai Bond 2012 (trapdoor spider) Obama is a reputed fan of Spiderman comics.

Caloplaca obamae Knudsen, 2009 (lichen) Knudsen wrote the manuscript between Obama's 2008 election and his inauguration, honoring him for "his support of science and scientific education."

Paragordius obamai Hanelt et al., 2012 (hairworm) Named after president Barack Obama, whose father was raised near its type locality in Kenya. [PLoS ONE 7(4)]

Ornithoptera alexandrae Rothschild, 1907 (Queen Alexandra birdwing butterfly) This New Guinea butterfly is the world's largest. It is named after Alexandra of Denmark, Queen Consort to England's Edward VII and Empress of India.

Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum Fiorillo & Tykoski, 2011 (ceratopsid dinosaur) Named for H. Ross Perot, Margot Perot, and their family, for their long support of science and science education.

Paroxyna cleopatra Hering, 1937 (fruit fly) named for the Egyptian queen; now synonymized with P. messalina , named for Roman empress Messalina, third wife of Claudius I.

Parides montezuma (swallowtail) for Aztec emporer Montezuma.

Pinus montezumae (Mexican pine)

Xiphophorus montezumae Jordan & Snyder, 1899 (Montezuma swordtail)

Pundamilia nyererei (Lake Victoria cichlid) Named for Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, one of Africa's great leaders.

Rooseveltia frankliniana O.F. Cook (palm) The genus is now regarded as a synonym of Euterpe, and the species is now sunk into E. macrospadix. Named after Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who, for the Presidential Cruise of 1938, a 24-day cruise beginning July 16, brought along a naturalist (Waldo Schmitt) and made fourteen collection stops in territories of Mexico, France, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Colombia. Other species named for the cruise are:

Callyspongia roosevelti Van Soest, Kaiser & Van Syoc, 2011 (sponge) First gathered on a 1938 Pacific expedition made possible by FDR. [Zootaxa 2839]

Conus roosevelti Bartsch & Rehder, 1939 (mollusc) (Synonym of C. tiaratus G. B. Sowerby II, 1833)

Marginella roosevelti Bartsch & Rehder, 1939 (mollusc) (Synonym of Prunum amabile (Redfield, 1852))

Neanthes roosevelti Hartman, 1939 (polychaetous annelid)

Neomegamphopus roosevelti Shoemaker, 1942 (marine amphipod)

Octopus roosevelti Stuart, 1941 (octopus) (Synonym of O. oculifer Hoyle, 1904)

Peasiella roosevelti Bartsch & Rehder, 1939 (mollusc) (Synonym of Echinolittorina porcata (Philippi, 1846))

Pycnomma roosevelti Ginsburg, 1939. (Roosevelt's goby)

Siriella roosevelti W. Tattersall, 1941 (mysid crustacean; opposum shrimp)

Terebra roosevelti Bartsch & Rehder, 1939 (mollusc) (Synonym of Oxymeris maculata (Linnaeus, 1758))

Rotaovula hirohitoi Cate and Azuma, 1973 (rare marine mollusc) named for Michinomiya Hirohito, Emporer of Japan and marine biologist whose specific interests included hydroids and dominion over Asia.

Scipionyx dal Sasso & Signore, 1998 Named for Scipio Africanus. This is the first dinosaur found in Italy (and the first with fossilized internal organs).

Sequoia (redwood) named after Sequoyah, Cherokee chief and inventer of the Cherokee written language. (It is also one of the shortest words with all five vowels.)

Sirindhorn thailandiensis (princess moth) Named after Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand. Other species named after her are: Sirindhornia (orchid), Acanthosquilla sirindhorn 1995 (panda mantis shrimp), Bauhinia sirindhorniae 1997 (sam sip song pra dong, a legume vine), Loxosomatoides sirindhornae 2005 (freshwater kamptozoan), Macrobrachium sirindhorn 2001 (freshwater prawn), Magnolia sirindhorniae (Princess Sirindhorn's magnolia), Phricotelphusa sirindhorn 1989 (panda crab), Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae 1994 (Cretaceous sauropod), Pseudochelidon sirintarae Kitti 1968 (white-eyed river martin), Streptocephalus sirindhornae 2000 (Anostraca, freshwater fairy shrimp), Tarsius sirindhornae Chaimanee, Lebrun, Yamee, and Jaeger, 2011 (middle Miocene tarsier), Trigona sirindhornae (bee); Thepparatia thailandica Phuph., 2006 (Malvaceae) Thepparat is her royal title.

Spartacus (leaf bug)

Strelitzia reginae Aiton, ~1773 (bird-of-paradise plant) Named for England's Queen Charlotte Sophia Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of Mad King George III. She took a marked interest in botany, generously sponsored the gardens at Kew, including expeditions and publications, and was a decent botanical illustrator herself.

Tecunumania Standley & Steyermark (wild gourd) named after Tecún Umán, Mayan general who was defeated by Pedro de Alvarado in the conquest of Guatemala.

Thysania agrippina Cramer, 1776 (owlet moth) Named for Julia Vipsania Agrippina, one of the most prominent women in the Roman Empire in the early 1st century.

Vanessa tameamea Eschscholtz, 1878 (Kamehameha butterfly, the state insect of Hawaii) The specific name is an old-fashioned and partially wrong transcription of "Kamehameha", a dynasty of Hawaiian kings. (Hawaiian does not distinguish between the /t/ and /k/ sounds, but the /h/ is pronounced and should be in the transcription.)

Victoria 1838 (Victoria water lily) for the Queen.

Washingtonia (fan palm) after president George.

Xenopsylla cheopsis (Oriental rat flea; vector of Plague) Named for the pharaoh Cheops, whose tomb is the Great Pyramid.

Xiphophorus nezahualcoyotl Rauchenberger, Kallman & Morizot, 1990 (mountain swordtail) A fish named for the 15th-century Nahuan poet and ruler Nezahualcoyotl.

Zenaida Bonaparte, 1838 (dove) Named for Zénaïde Laetitia Julie Bonaparte, Princess of Canino and Musignano, niece of Napoleon Bonaparte. The name's author was Zénaïde's husband (and cousin), ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte.

Apistogramma mendezi Römer 1994 (cichlid) Named for rubber tapper and rainforest defender Chico Mendes, but misspelled. [Aqua, J. Ichthy. Aquat. Biol. 1(1): 1-12]

Aptostichus pennjillettei Bond 2012 (trapdoor spider) Named for illusionist and intellectual Penn Jillette.

Blighia Koenig (tropical akee fruit) Named after Captain Bligh of the H. M. S. Bounty, who brought it to the West Indies as food for slaves.

Bobbichthys (fossil fish)

Carnegiea Britton & Rose (saguaro cactus) Named for steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

Dasykaluta rosamondae (Ride 1964) (kaluta, an Australian "marsupial mouse") It has reddish fur and was discovered on a sheep farm called Woodstock Station living in prickly spinifex bushes. It was named after the King Henry II's red-headed mistress Rosamond, who was kept locked in the Royal Manor of Woodstock surrounded by a maze of prickly hedges.

Echinobothrium dougbermani Caira et al. 2013 (tapeworm) This guitarfish parasite is named after Doug Berman, most noted as producer of NPR's "Car Talk". [Comp. Parasit. 80: 22]

Elseya irwini Cann 1997 (Irwin's turtle) for Steve and Bob Irwin, who discovered the species in the Burdekin River in 1990. Steve was best known as 'the Crocodile Hunter' on TV but did a lot of good herpetological work. Bob is his father. [Journal of the Victorian Herpetological Society 9(1)]

Eristalis alleni Thompson, 1997 (flower fly) for Microsoft founder Paul Allen.

Eristalis gatesi Thompson, 1997 (flower fly) Named after Bill Gates "in recognition of his great contributions" to dipterology, presumably referring to money, not to bugs of another sort.

Geoballus caputalbus Crabill, 1969 (millipede) Named after its collectors, George Ball and Donald Whitehead.

Gretchena delicatana, G. dulciana, G. amatana, G. concubitana Heinrich, 1923 (moths) named by taxonomist Carl Heinrich after his love interest(?) Gretchen; the names are derived, in order, from "delicate", "sweet", "beloved", "lying together".

Malo kingi Gershwin, 2007 (jellyfish) Named after Robert King, and American tourist who died in Australia after being stung by it.

Neoperla teresa Stark, 2008 (stonefly) after Teresa Heinz Kerry, environmentalist, philanthropist, and wife of presidential candidate John Kerry.

Pectinivalva (Casanovula) Hoare, 2013 (moth) The subgenus is named "after the famous Italian adventurer and philanderer Giacomo Casanova, in reference to the unusual sexual ornamentation of the males of some species." [ZooKeys 278]

Pheidole mooreorum Wilson, 2002 (ant) named after Gordon Moore and his wife for their environmental philanthropy. Moore, founder of Intel, is famous for expounding Moore's Law, about exponential growth of computing power.

Sylvilagus palustris hefneri Lazell, 1984 (Lower Keys marsh rabbit) An endangered rabbit named after Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. Lazell received financial help from the Playboy Corporation.