How to Bring Attention to a Little Bug? Name It After Taylor Swift

Most people would say you can find music superstar Taylor Swift on a stage at the center of sold-out arenas. Ask Sarah Schroeder, though, and she might say “crawling along the branches of an Australian sheoak tree.”

Though it might sound buggy, Schroeder’s answer is also true. She is an entomologist. She just named a new genus and four species of a pale blonde bug after the 14-time Grammy winner and her albums. 

"It felt authentic to me as a lifelong Swiftie to honor Taylor," Schroeder said in a written statement. She also noted that she hoped it would bring awareness about how many insects have yet to be discovered. She co-authored a paper on the newly-named insects. 

The new genus is called Swiftiephylus. The four new species were given names inspired by some of Swift’s most famous albums. The insects are named Swiftiephylus taylorae, Swiftiephylus amator, Swiftiephylus intrepidus, and Swiftiephylus poetorum. They refer to the albums Taylor Swift, Lover, Fearless, and The Tortured Poets Department. Schroeder notes that the names seem to fit, given how the plant-eating insect looks.  

“Swift’s iconic look is her blonde hair and red lips. These insects are pale yellow with accents of red,” Schroeder said. “In the paper I refer to them as blonde.”

The bugs are harmless to humans and the sheoak trees where they live. The winged Swifties rely on the trees for shelter and food. As the trees are threatened, so too are the insects. That’s why Schroeder felt that naming the bug after Taylor Swift would be a sound strategy.     

"If we don't describe species, we don't know they exist and can't conserve them,” Schroeder said. “Honoring Taylor through naming these species after her is a way to honor conservation." 

Reflect: If an insect could be named after you, what would you choose and what would it say about who you are?

Photo of a species of Swiftiephylus from University of California, Riverside press release.