In Australia, a professor and his student discovered new subspecies of beetles. Because of the student’s love for the franchise and the fact that they are so rare, they were named after 3 legendary Pokémon.
What happened? Professor Dr. Darren Pollock from Eastern New Mexico University and philosophy student Yun Hsiao from Taiwan discovered 3 new species of beetles together in Australia. These differ slightly in appearance but share one common feature: they are very rare.
Yun Hsiao, a Pokémon fan, subsequently named these 3 beetles after the legendary Flying Pokémon from the first generation:
- Binburrum articuno (G) – this beetle has brown wings
- Binburrum moltres (H) – the golden half of this beetle is clearly visible
- Binburrum zapdos (J) – here the mix of black wings and brown body is conspicuous
This discovery took place back in 2020, but in March 2021, Eastern New Mexico University published an interview about it. Only then did the names become popular.
Student Discovers New Beetles, More Pokémon Could Follow
How did the discovery of the beetles happen? Dr. Darren Pollock reported that he met the student Yun Hsiao about 5 or 6 years ago. Together they worked on a third edition of the book “Australian Beetles”.
In the process, he stumbled upon a completely new genus, which he named Binburrum. The student, in turn, began a PhD position at the Australian National Insect Collection in Canberra. There he discovered 3 new subspecies that the two wanted to include in the book.
How does naming occur? Pollock explained in the conversation that naming is not as trivial as it seems. One must find a name that clearly distinguishes oneself from other genera.
Hsiao reportedly mentioned after that he had been an “aspiring Pokémon trainer” in his youth and suggested the names of the three legendary Flying Pokémon due to their rarity. Pollock agreed.
What’s next? The two scientists want to continue searching for new beetles. According to the interview, more new species of the genus Binburrum have already appeared.
Pollock revealed that it is possible that these could also be named after Pokémon.
Animals are often Named After Pokémon
Are there other animals that have been named after Pokémon? Yes, there are. In 2018, we reported that a Japanese team of researchers named an ant species after Pokémon.
Interestingly, they used AR technology and thus spontaneously arrived at a connection to Pokémon GO. They subsequently had users on the internet vote on the names and compiled a list of insect Pokémon and fan favorites.
On the Amino website, a user has also collected additional animals named after Pokémon, including a dragonfly named after Charizard or a species of wasp that includes Hornliu in its name.
Pokémon was originally inspired by insects: Naming animals after Pokémon is in a way a cycle. The creator of Pokémon, Satoshi Tojiri, was a passionate collector of insects in his childhood.
He even developed new techniques on how to attract different insects. Therefore, his childhood hobby is strongly reflected in his life’s work, Pokémon.
Anyone who wants to hunt for monsters in Pokémon GO can take advantage of the current Electric event. It runs until Monday: Pokémon GO: Quests, Raids, and a Surprise for the Electric Event.
