...Most recently Severus Snape, a teacher and double-agent in the “Harry Potter” franchise, inspired Harryplax severus, a crab that also eluded discovery (after 20 years, it was just recognised as a new species). Some names have been less considered. The Spongiforma squarepantsii is a rubbery orange fungus that lives above ground—not “in a pineapple under the sea”, as the eponymous cartoon character does. All this livens up the textbooks, at least.
Tuesday, February 07, 2017
Taxonomy From Fiction
Economist: "At least as strange as fiction: taxonomy"