New species of beetle named after US president

NEW SPECIES: Stenomorpha roosevelti

‘It's hardy and resilient - just like Roosevelt'

March 2011: It's not an everyday honour for an American president, but a new species of rugged darkling beetle has been named after Theodore Roosevelt.

The new species of beetle, Stenomorpha roosevelti, covered in thick dark hair with golden setal pads on tarsal segments of legs, was discovered in the protected area of Cuatro Ciénegas, a biodiversity-rich oasis in Coahuila, Mexico.

The naming coincides with the hundreth anniversary of a speech the president gave at Tempe Normal School - now Arizona Sate University. The beetle was discovered and named by Aaron Smith, an authority on darkling beetles and a postdoctoral research associate at ASU, Kelly Miller, an assistant professor and curator of arthropods for the Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico; and Quentin Wheeler, a professor and founding director of the International Institute for Species Exploration at ASU.

According to Douglas Brinkley's book, The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt And The Crusade For America, it was Roosevelt's executive orders that saved such natural treasures as Devils Tower, the Petrified Forest, and Arizona's Grand Canyon.

George Bush has had a beetle named after him... as has Roy Orbison
‘Naming a new species for President Roosevelt honours his achievements as a pioneering conservationist, naturalist and explorer, and helps us bring attention to biodiversity and the field of taxonomy. The ruggedness of this darkling beetle reflects many of the hardy and resilient characteristics of President Roosevelt,' said Wheeler.

It is not the first time Roosevelt has had a species named in his honour. On the animal roll call is an elk, a shrew, a mollusc, a worm and even an ant. ‘To this list of honours we are pleased to add this rugged and dashing new species of beetle,' Wheeler said.

Surprisingly, Roosevelt is not the first US president to have a beetle named by Wheeler and Miller. The pair have named new species in honour of former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and former Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld. They also named beetles for the late rock 'n' roll legend Roy Orbison and his widow Barbara; for fictional "Star Wars" character Darth Vader; and for Stephen Colbert, the satirical host and executive producer of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report.