Meet Nannaria swiftae, A Millipede Species Named After Taylor Swift

The millipede joins 16 other species described from the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. Derek Hennen, the lead author of the study, is a fan of Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift | AFP

New Delhi: Grammy Award-winning US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has earned a new accolade — a new species of millipede has been named in Swift's honour. 

It is a twisted-claw millipede dubbed Nannaria swiftae. The millipede joins 16 other species described from the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. 

The paper, describing Nannaria swiftae, was recently published in the open access journal ZooKeys. 

Findings Of The Study

Scientists at Virginia Tech in Switzerland discovered that the millipedes prefer to live in forested habitats near streams and are often buried under the soil. They exhibit more cryptic behaviours than their relatives.

The invertebrates play a valuable role as decomposers, breaking down leaf litter, and releasing their nutrients into the ecosystem. Since the millipedes live on the forest floor, they feed on decaying leaves, and other plant matter. 

For a long time, scientists suspected that the twisted-claw millipedes included many new species, because of their presence in museum collections. However, these specimens went undescribed for decades. 

The researchers started a multi-year project to collect new specimens throughout the eastern US, travelling to 17 US states.

The scientists checked under leaf litter, rocks, and logs to find species so that they could sequence their DNA and scientifically describe them.

The study authors looked at over 1,800 specimens collected in their field study or taken from university and museum collections. In the research paper, they described 17 new species, including Nannaria marianae. This species is named after the wife of Derek Hennen, the lead author of the study. Also, Hennen is a fan of Taylor Swift, a statement issued by Pensoft Publishers said. 

According to the study, the newly-described millipedes range between 18 and 38 millimetres long, and have shiny caramel-brown to black bodies with white, red, or orange spots. The species also have white legs. 

The male millipedes have small, twisted, and flattened claws on their anterior legs, which is the basis for their common name. 

"Her music helped me get through the highs and lows of graduate school, so naming a new millipede species after her is my way of saying thanks," Hennen said.