New millipede species named after Taylor Swift

Look what she made him do.

As a tribute to pop star Taylor Swift, superfan and entomologist Derek Hennen has named a millipede species after the “Willow” singer.

Q: What do you do when you like an artist and want to show your appreciation?

A: I don't know, name a new #millipede species after them?

Thanks to some great work by @derekhennen et al., @taylorswift13 is now a millipede.https://t.co/ilWdsVZYoE
— ZooKeys (@ZooKeys_Journal) April 18, 2022

According to NPR, the 2020 Ph.D. graduate from Virginia Tech partnered with fellow researchers Jackson Means and Paul Marek to introduce 17 new twisted-claw millipede species in a recent article published in ZooKeys. One of the species, which Hennen discovered in Tennessee’s Fall Creek Falls State Park, has been dubbed the Swift twisted-claw millipede, also known as Nannaria swiftae.

Hennen, 32, said he chose the name as a “thank you” to the Grammy Award-winning artist, whose music helped him “through tough times” and brought him joy, according to CNN.

Hopefully, Swift won’t shake off the unusual homage, which was meant as a compliment, Hennen told CNN.

“For a scientist, naming a species after someone is intended to be an honor, so I hope she views it positively,” said Hennen, who also named a species for his wife.

BIG NEWS! Our new paper describing 17 new species of Twisted-Claw Millipedes from Appalachia is published! I spent 5 years of my life searching for them with @Nannaria1 and @apheloria. I named a new species after my wife, and another after @taylorswift13! https://t.co/QXRT6gk1Px pic.twitter.com/kL4T56P4Qd
— Derek Hennen, Ph.D. (@derekhennen) April 15, 2022