COUNTRY music star Willie Nelson has a glittering list of achievements under his belt, and now he can add a new one – he’s had an insect named after him.
US expert Dr JoVonn Hill had been carrying out expeditions in central Texas and found seven new flightless grasshoppers that had never been identified before.
And in a nod to the star, who was born in the area, Dr Hill named one the Melanoplus nelsoni.
Here, NICOLA BARDON looks at other critters and their famous namesakes.
ENYA – LEPORINUS ENYAE FISH
BACK in 2017, a group of researchers from Oregon State University revealed the latest honour for Irish singer Enya — they were naming a new species of fish after her.
It was discovered in the Orinoco River in South America and they said they couldn’t get her hit song Orinoco Flow out of their heads while they were working there.
It is now called the Leporinus enyae, which project leader Michael Burns said is a “beautiful little fish.”
BONO – THE BONOI TRAPDOOR SPIDER
IN 2013, U2 frontman Bono added a new gong to his list of honours.
Jason Bond, from Alabama’s Auburn University, identified 33 new types of trapdoor spider.
One of them was found in Joshua Tree National Park and was classified as a bonoi, to honour Bono and the band’s 1987 album The Joshua Tree.
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Jason has also named spiders after movie beauty Angelina Jolie and US TV host Stephen Colbert.
BEYONCE – SCAPTIA BEYONCEAE HORSEFLY
THIS horse fly is unique in that it was discovered in 1981 in the Atherton Tablelands in north east Queensland, Australia, but was not named until 30 years later.
The Scaptia beyonceae was named after the US singer due to its golden shiny behind, which made the researchers think of her song Bootylicious.
The year that it was discovered is also the same year the star was born.
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH – EUPTYCHIA ATTENBOROUGHI BUTTERFLY
AS the world’s most famous wildlife and conservation expert, Sir David has had more than 40 species of animals and plants named after him.
In 2015, the Euptychia attenboroughi, or the Attenborough black-eyed satyr butterfly — found south of the Amazon river — was named after him.
He also has a colourful dragonfly, a dung beetle, a burgundy snail, a frog and fish christened in his honour.
TAYLOR SWIFT – NANNARIA SWIFTAE MILLIPEDE
LAST year, Taylor hit the headlines, but not for her music or personal life.
This time it was because Dr Derek Hennen. who has discovered 17 new species of millipede in North America, decided to name one of them after her because he is a big “Swiftie” fan.
The Nannaria swiftae was also partly named after his wife Marian, as “a small thank you for all her patience when we’re taking a nature hike and I stop to look for millipedes.”
HUGH HEFNER – SYLVILAGUS PALUSTRIS HEFNERI RABBIT
PERHAPS not surprisingly, the animal named after the man known for his Playboy Bunnies is a rabbit.
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The endangered Lower Keys marsh rabbit has been renamed the Sylvilagus palustris hefneri, after his charitable organisation donated heavily to ensure the survival of the American rabbit.
It is found in the south east of the country but it are believed there is only around 150 of them left in the wild.