An Australian scientist has named an eye-catching new fly species after RuPaul ― and the “Drag Race” host seems to approve. Opaluma rupaul (the “opaluma” part coming from the Latin words for “opal” and “thorn”) is an iridescent species of soldier fly, important insects that are usually underappreciated by the general public. “Soldier flies are valuable in the ecosystem,” Bryan Lessard, an entomologist with Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, said in a statement . “The larvae recycle nutrients from dead plants and animals, while adults are pollinators of some Australian plants.” That’s why, in Lessard’s mind, the new species deserved a name that matched its flashy looks. Fly, fly, fly, fly, uh oh, uh oh. “Naming a species is the first step to understanding and protecting them because otherwise they’re invisible to science,” he told The Guardian . Lessard figured RuPaul would appreciate the name after realizing the insect is “quite fierce.” “It has a costume of shiny metallic rainbow colors, and it has legs for days,” he said. That prediction seems to have been correct, as RuPaul tweeted about the fabulous fly on Wednesday. Opaluma rupaul is one of 13 new soldier fly species named by […]
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