List of organisms named after the Harry Potter series
Newly created taxonomic names in biological nomenclature often reflect the discoverer's interests or honour those the discoverer holds in esteem. This is a list of real organisms with scientific names chosen to reference the fictional Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.
Vertebrates
- Clevosaurus sectumsemper is an extinct Gloucester lizard. It is named after the sectumsempra curse.[1][2]
- Dracorex hogwartsia is an extinct species of dinosaur in the family Pachycephalosauria. Its name means "Dragon king of Hogwarts".[3]
- Trimeresurus salazar is a species of pit viper named after Salazar Slytherin.[4]
Invertebrates
- Alastor moody is a species of potter wasp named after the Auror Alastor Moody [5].
- Ampulex dementor is a species of cockroach wasp. It is named after the dementors, guards of Azkaban prison who suck the souls of those they encounter.[6][7]
- Aname aragog is a species of spider in the family Nemesiidae, named after Aragog, a fictional spider owned by Rubeus Hagrid.[8][9]
- Eriovixia gryffindori is a species of Orb-weaver spider named after the Hogwarts house Gryffindor; the spider resembles the sorting hat which separates new Hogwarts students into their houses.[10]
- Graphorn is a genus of stink bug named after the graphorn, a dangerous magical creature from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.[11]
- Harryplax severus is a species of pseudozioid crab. According to the publication first describing both the genus and species,[12] the genus name Harryplax was chosen both to honor Harry T. Conley and as an allusion to Harry Potter. The genus is monotypic, with H. severus as its only member species. The species name refers to Severus Snape, a teacher and headmaster of Hogwarts.[13][14]
- Lusius malfoyi is a species of parasitoid wasp found in New Zealand. The species name was chosen to reference Lucius Malfoy, the parent of one of Harry's classmates at Hogwarts.[15][16] The genus Lusius was first described in 1903 and is not a Harry Potter reference.[17]
- Lycosa aragogi is a species of wolf spider named after the spider Aragog, owned by Rubeus Hagrid.[18][19]
- Ochyrocera aragogue is a species of spider in the family Ochyroceratidae. It is also named after Hagrid's pet Aragog.[20]
- Thestral is genus of stink bug named after thestrals, elusive and magical winged horses which pull carriages carrying students from Hogsmeade train station.[21]
See also
References
- ^ "Harry Potter sectumsempra spell inspires lizard name". BBC News. BBC. 4 Jun 2015. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 14 Jan 2018.
- ^ Klein, Catherine G.; Whiteside, David I.; de Lucas, Victor Selles; Viegas, Pedro A.; Benton, Michael J. (2015). "A distinctive Late Triassic microvertebrate fissure fauna and a new species of Clevosaurus (Lepidosauria: Rhynchocephalia) from Woodleaze Quarry, Gloucestershire, UK". Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. 126 (3): 402–416. doi:10.1016/j.pgeola.2015.05.003.
- ^ "Dracorex". Natural History Museum. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 14 Jan 2018.
- ^ Asmelash, Leah. "Scientists discover a new snake and name it after Salazar Slytherin". CNN. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
- ^ Selis, Marco (2020-08-06). "Notes on the Afrotropical species of Alastor Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae), with description of nine new species". Zootaxa. 4822 (3): 361–388. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4822.3.3. ISSN 1175-5334.
- ^ Ohl, Michael; Lohrmann, Volker; Breitkreuz, Laura; Kirschey, Lukas; Krause, Stefanie (2014). "The Soul-Sucking Wasp by Popular Acclaim – Museum Visitor Participation in Biodiversity Discovery and Taxonomy". PLOS ONE. 9 (4): e95068. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...995068O. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0095068. PMC 3995701. PMID 24755672.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Izadi, Elahe (27 May 2015). "Say hello to the dementor wasp. It turns cockroaches into zombies". Retrieved 14 Jan 2018.
- ^ "Aname aragog". Western Australian Museum Online Collections. 2017-02-14. Archived from the original on 15 January 2018. Retrieved 15 Jan 2018.
- ^ Harvey, Frances S. B.; Framenau, Volker W.; Wojcieszek, Janine M.; Rix, Michael G.; Harvey, Mark S. (2012). "Molecular and morphological characterisation of new species in the trapdoor spider genus Aname (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Nemesiidae) from the Pilbara bioregion of Western Australia" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3383: 15–38. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3383.1.3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2017. Retrieved 15 Jan 2018.
- ^ Weisberger, Mindy (13 Dec 2016). "Hat-Shaped Spider Named for Magical Object in 'Harry Potter'". Live Science. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 14 Jan 2018.
- ^ Faúndez, Eduardo I.; Rider, David A.; Carvajal, Mariom A. (2017). "Graphorn bicornutus, a new genus and a new species from Argentina (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)" (PDF). Arquivos Entomolóxicos. 17: 285–288.
- ^ Mendoza, Jose C.E.; Ng, Peter K.L. (2017). "Harryplax severus, a new genus and species of an unusual coral rubble-inhabiting crab from Guam (Crustacea, Brachyura, Christmaplacidae)". ZooKeys (647): 23–35. doi:10.3897/zookeys.647.11455. PMC 5345348. PMID 28325962.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Greshko, Michael (23 January 2017). "Pale, Beady-Eyed Crab Named for Harry Potter". National Geographic News.
- ^ Geggel, Laura (23 January 2017). "Accio Crab! Newfound Crab Honors Harry Potter and Professor Snape". Live Science.
- ^ Pearlman, Jonathan (10 Oct 2017). "New Zealand wasp named after Harry Potter character Lucius Malfoy". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 14 Jan 2018.
- ^ Ainge Roy, Elanor (10 Oct 2017). "Lusius malfoyi wasp: New Zealand insect named after Harry Potter villain". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 November 2017. Retrieved 14 Jan 2018.
- ^ Saunders, Thomas E.; Ward, Darren F. (2017). "A new species of Lusius (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) from New Zealand". New Zealand Entomologist. 40 (2): 72–78. doi:10.1080/00779962.2017.1357427.
- ^ "A new spider species has been named after a Harry Potter character". 9 July 2017.
- ^ Geggel, Laura (7 Jul 2017). "Furry 'Harry Potter' Spider Discovered in Mountain Burrow". Archived from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 14 Jan 2018.
- ^ Brescovit, Antonio (2018). "Seven new species of the spider genus Ochyrocera from caves in Floresta Nacional de Carajás, PA, Brazil". ZooKeys (726): 87–130. doi:10.3897/zookeys.726.19778. PMC 5799772. PMID 29416386. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ "Researchers name new insect for 'Harry Potter' creature". Phys.org. 20 Nov 2014. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 14 Jan 2018.
