Taylor Swift, pictured in 2021, was the inspiration for the name of the newly described Twisted-Claw Millipede, Nannaria swiftae.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; Dr. Derek Hennen / Pensoft Publishing
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Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; Dr. Derek Hennen / Pensoft Publishing
Taylor Swift, pictured in 2021, was the inspiration for the name of the newly described Twisted-Claw Millipede, Nannaria swiftae.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; Dr. Derek Hennen / Pensoft Publishing
Taylor Swift has more than 200 her name song. And now, there’s also a milipede.
Derek Hennen, an entomologist who completed a Ph. at Virginia Tech in 2020, discovered a species of milipede and named it in honor of Swift, according to an article published Friday in the journal ZooKeys. Species called Nannaria swiftae – or in the vernacular, Swift Twisted-Claw Millipede.
The discovery of this species was part of a paper by Hennen, together with co-authors Jackson Means and Paul Marek, that identified 17 new species by Twisted-Claw Millipedes from Appalachia. The researchers identified the insect named for Swift as a unique species because of hamster genetics and “distinctive legs,” explains Hennen.
Swift Twisted-Claw Millipede is a “Thanks“From Hennen, 32, to Swift, he told NPR. Her music helped him get through ‘some tough times,'” he said.
An avid Swiftie, Hennen keeps a few of her CDs in his car that he passes. His favorite songs are “New Romantics” and “betty.”
As part of her research, Hennen traveled to 17 states — including Virginia, the Carolinas, Pennsylvania and New York — in search of milipedes. Regularly traveling with others, he says he is able to include some of Swift’s music in his drives.
He found Swift Twisted-Claw Millipede in Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee – a state that also marked the beginning of Swift’s career. As a teenager, Swift moved in Hendersonville, Tenn.to pursue a career in country music in Nashville.
Hennen remembers pulling into a parking lot with her group, and searching through some roadside woods. He recalls that the area was pretty dry, and it took him and his team about 45 minutes to search before redirecting the test to the other side of the street.
“And then we started finding them,” says Hennen. “That park… just had this beautiful view. And we picked one up there and then went down the street and found a few more.”
Below, Hennen said the Swift Twisted-Claw Millipede should be “pretty well protected” because it’s in a state park. Several other Tennessee counties were also found.
He said of the future of Swift Twisted-Claw Millipede: “It will probably be around for quite some time.
Hennen also named one of the new species after his wife, Marian: Nannaria marianae.
