Butterfly species named after Sauron

Pyan

Pyan

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Butterfly species named after Lord of the Rings villain Sauron​

Experts hit on the name Saurona because the black rings on the insect's orange wings reminded them of the all-seeing eye described in JRR Tolkien's books. Wouldn't expect scientists to have such a vivid imagination, TBH...

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They look more like the clustered eyes of a spider to me, especially turned upside down, when you also get the pale angled streaks as giant fangs.

Sheloba?

_129626206_722f17c1064a76e81fcbccc7815f48198da2ae430_28_3500_19681000x563_upside_down.jpg
 
The cynic in me thinks this is clickbait naming.
It is one way to raise the prominence of your little discovery written up in a minor journal.
 
Pyan said:

Wouldn't expect scientists to have such a vivid imagination, TBH...​


​
Click to expand...
1. Depends on the scientist
2. It takes a vivid imagination to make connections that lead to progress.
3. Lots of creative folks like writers can also really struggle with names
 
Aren't spiders also cop/cob - hence cobweb?
And having looked it up, coppe is 14th century and cob is 16th century.
 
Bilbo taunted the Mirkwood spiders with
Lazy Lob and Crazy Cob
among other taunts
Attercop, Tomnoddy etc
I expect they all had some old reference.

Edit.
Oh sorry. HB has already pointed this one out.
 
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