Agaporomorphus colberti

Agaporomorphus colberti

Looks like another fan of Stephen Colbert has decided to leave a lasting tribute to Stephen Colbert in the form of naming something after him. Specifically, the recently discovered Agaporomorphus colberti is the most recent benefactor of the generosity of the Colbert Nation. According to entomologists Quentin Wheeler at Arizona State University, “”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.”

The unique identifying characteristic of the Agaporomorphus colberti is its “extremely complicated male genitalia“, which is characterized by setae on the male median lobe. I find it amusing that the defining characteristic of so many critters named after Colbert are their extreme genitalia.

Wheeler is no stranger to giving his newly discovered beetles names with a distinct nod to pop culture – some of his earlier discoveries are tributes the late rock ‘n’ roll legend Roy Orbison and his widow Barbara (Orectochilus orbisonorum); fictional “Star Wars” character Darth Vader (Agathidium vaderi); and former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (Agathidium bushi, A. cheneyi and A. rumsfeldi).

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