Swiftiephylus era: Insect genus, 4 plant-eating species named for Taylor Swift

Meet Swiftiephylus.

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have named the previously unknown insect species after Swift, Variety reported.

A paper describing the 12 new species -- “New genera and species of Australian sheoak-associated plant bugs -- was published in the journal “Insect Systematics and Evolution.” One genus was named Swiftiephylus, which combines “Swiftie,” the term for Swift’s fans, with “Phylus,” a name commonly used for this group of insects.

Sarah Schroeder, a UC Riverside doctoral student in entomology, said she hoped that naming the insects after Swift will bring more attention to them and to insect conservation.

“It felt authentic to me as a lifelong Swiftie to honor Taylor in this way, as well as bring attention to the diversity of insects that has yet to be discovered,” Schroeder said in a statement.

Four species in the genus, named in Latin, are Swift-related, according to People: Swiftiephylus taylorae (Taylor), Swiftiephylus amator (lover), Swiftiephylus intrepidus (fearless) and Swiftiephylus poetorum (poets).

According to UC Riverside, the Swiftiephylus insects are closely associated with Australian she-oaks, trees and shrubs, Variety reported. They adapt to environments ranging from tropical forest, coastal dunes and extreme heat, according to the entertainment news website.

The specimens of Swiftiephylus were among plant bug specimens collected between 1995 and 2004 during “a large biodiversity effort” that involved American Museum of Natural History researchers and Australian collaborators, the university said in its news release. That resulted in the discovery of more than 50,000 specimens, many of which requiring “years of taxonomic work to sort, study, and describe.”

Schroeder, with the help of her advisor and the co-author of the paper, UCR entomology professor Christiane Weirauch, examined 593 specimens that were borrowed from the American Museum of Natural History and the Australian Museum.

Schroeder said she named the bugs after Swift because they can camouflage among the Australian she-oaks because of their blonde appearance.

“Taylor Swift’s iconic look is her blonde hair and red lips. These insects are pale yellow with accents of red throughout,” Schroeder said in a statement. “In the paper I refer to them as blonde.”

Naming insects after humans has been done for centuries, but Schroeder said she understood there may be some raised eyebrows for naming a genus after pop star.

“Taxonomy is the cornerstone of conservation,” Schroeder said in a statement. “If we don’t describe species, we don’t know they exist and can’t conserve them. Honoring Taylor through naming these species after her is a way to honor conservation science and bring attention to all the unknown diversity.”