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yesterday

UC Riverside Names New Insect Genus After Taylor Swift

The researchers framed the naming as a way to spotlight decades‑old museum specimens and show how naming species is a first step toward conserving little‑known biodiversity.

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Four specific species were also named after the singer and her albums: Swiftiephylus taylorae after Taylor, Swiftiephylus amator after “lover”, Swiftiephylus intrepidus after “fearless”, and Swiftiephylus poetorum after “poets”.
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Overview

  • A peer‑reviewed paper published Sept. 9, 2026 formally described 12 previously undocumented plant‑feeding insect species and placed them in five new genera.
  • One of the new genera, Swiftiephylus, contains four species given Latin names that reference Taylor Swift and several of her albums: Swiftiephylus taylorae, S. amator, S. intrepidus, and S. poetorum.
  • The authors examined 593 specimens that had been collected in Australia between 1995 and 2004 and held in museum collections before being analyzed for this study.
  • The insects are members of the Miridae family, live on Australian she‑oaks, are described as pale yellow with red accents, are not known to be pests, and all four Swiftiephylus species share small spines near the tip of the male organ whose function remains unknown.
  • The lead author, a self‑identified longtime fan, said she chose the names to draw public attention to taxonomy and insect conservation, and the paper’s use of museum material and genetic plus morphological methods points to many more undescribed insect species that need study.