Pokémon fans name new cockroach species after Sun & Moon ultra beast-Michael Beckwith-Entertainment – Metro

Just a heads up for the squeamish, we’ve included a more direct comparison below (pic: Bulbapedia)

Entomologists have given a Pokémon inspired name to a new insect species, although this time they’ve named it after an actual bug pokémon.

Remember a couple of years ago when entomologists discovered three new species of beetles and proceeded to name them after the legendary birds from Pokémon and not any actual bug pokémon?

Well, something similar has happened in Singapore except, this time, the entomologists had the common courtesy to name this newly discovered insect species after a pokémon that somewhat resembles it.

The insect in question is a new species of cockroach, and has been named Nocticola pheromosa, a direct reference to the bug pokémon (technically ultra beast) Pheromosa that was introduced in Pokémon Sun & Moon.

Aside from the fact that Pheromosa’s own design resembles a cockroach (albeit a far less ugly one), this newly discovered cockroach also features long antennae, slender legs, and wings that mimic a hood, much like Pheromosa.

Obviously, this new species didn’t pop out of an interdimensional wormhole like Pheromosa did in the games. Instead, it was found in a Singaporean forested nature reserve.

Entomologists Foo Maosheng and Cristian C. Lucanas, who co-authored the discovery, are unsurprisingly Pokémon fans, with the former telling The Straits Times, ‘Both my collaborator and I are Pokémon fans, so we thought, why not name it after a pokémon inspired by a cockroach.’

Foo’s love of Pokémon is well known among his peers, earning him the nickname of ‘bug catcher’ like the pokémon trainers from the games.

‘I’m like one of those bug type trainers as I go to different places to find out more about what insects we have,’ he says.

‘This contributes to the museum for research and education and The Biodiversity of Singapore website, which is kind of like our local pokédex.’

More: Gaming

It’s oddly fitting that entomologists are naming new bug species after Pokémon considering the franchise’s origins.

It’s well known among fans that series creator and executive producer Satoshi Tajiri collected bugs as a childhood hobby, which directly inspired Pokémon’s creation.

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