A genus of plant-feeding insects discovered in Australia has been named Swiftiephylus, in honor of singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The naming was detailed in a paper published in the journal Insect Systematics and Evolution by doctoral student Sarah Schroeder and entomology professor Christiane Weirauch of the University of California, Riverside.
Schroeder, who identified the genus, explained that the insects' pale yellow coloration with red accents reminded her of Swift's "iconic look" of blonde hair and red lips. The genus Swiftiephylus comprises four species, each with a Latin name inspired by Swift and her albums: Swiftiephylus taylorae, Swiftiephylus amator, Swiftiephylus intrepidus, and Swiftiephylus poetorum.
These insects were originally collected between 1995 and 2004. Schroeder hopes that naming the genus after Swift will draw attention to insect diversity and the importance of taxonomy. "If we don’t describe species, we don’t know they exist and can’t conserve them," Schroeder stated in a UC Riverside press release. "Honoring Taylor through naming these species after her is a way to honor conservation science and bring attention to all the unknown diversity."
The newly named insects are not known to be pests to humans, animals, or the host plants they inhabit. This is not the first time insects have been named after Swift; in 2022, a millipede discovered in Tennessee was named Nannaria swiftae.