Unusual new species names of 2013

Julio Lacerda

1. Siats meekerorum

Newly found fossils of this dinosaur show it was anything but meek, probably terrorizing the ancestors of Tyrannosaurus rex.

2. Cardiocondyla pirata

The pirate ant gets its name from the dark ribbon across females’ eyes, resembling a pirate’s blindfold for walking the plank.

3. Cthulhu macrofasciculumque

Found in termite hindguts, this tiny creature with more than 20 flagella is named for H.P. Lovecraft’s tentacle-headed demon Cthulhu.

4. Megachile chomskyi

A new leafcutter bee species is named in honor of linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky.

5. Bothriechis guifarroi

A bright green pit viper is named for Honduran conservationist Mario Guifarro, who was killed while fighting illegal logging.

B. Seifert and S. Frohschammer/Zookeys 2013

E.R. James et al/Plos One 2013

Julio Lacerda

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