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Shake It Off! Taylor Swift has a new bug named after her

An image combining a photograph of the bug and a picture of Taylor Swift looking slightly shocked.Image source, Sarah Schroeder/UCR/Getty Images
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Taylor Swift has achieved many things in her career, but probably nothing quite as unusual as this.

Four newly discovered species of tiny plant-feeding bugs from Australia have been named after Taylor and her music.

Their group has been named Swiftiephylus, after Taylor's fans, the Swifties, with four species given names inspired by the singer and her albums, including Fearless and The Tortured Poets Department.

The scientist who named them hopes the Taylor connection will get more people interested in insects and why it's important to protect them.

Taylor's not the only star to have a species named after them - so who else has made it into the animal kingdom, and why?

Keep reading to meet some other species named after famous faces..

Oscar Piastri

An image combining a photograph of an ancient fossilised wasp and a photo of F1 driver Oscar Piastri smiling.Image source, Corentin Jouault/Di-Ying Huang/Celso O. Azevedo/Getty Images

One of Formula 1's fastest drivers has a rather unusual reason to celebrate.

Australian racer Oscar Piastri has been given an honour he probably didn't expect - he's had an ancient wasp named after him!

Wasp fossils of what's now been given the title of Gwesped piastrii were discovered inside amber in northern Myanmar.

Scientists writing in the Paleoworld journal say that the orange-coloured amber gems reminded them of Oscar's orange McLaren car that he races in.

Lionel Messi

An image combining a photo of Lionel Messi looking to the right, and next to him a photo of a spider.Image source, Fiorella Signorotto/Nelson E Ferretti/Mariana Mancini

Let's stick in the sports world with superstar footballer, Lionel Messi.

The striker is from Argentina - and so is the small spider that's named after him.

The Acanthogonatus messii was discovered in a huge Patagonian desert that stretches from Argentina to Chile.

The authors of the study in the Zoosystema science journal wrote that the spider likes to make burrows in sandy places with small shrubs.

Taylor Swift

A combined image of a tiny spider with a photograph of Taylor Swift.Image source, Brogan L Pett/Getty Images

But that's not the only spider to have a very famous name.

Check out the Castianeira swiftay, named after... you guessed it... Taylor Swift.

This spider is from Costa Rica and has a quirky feature where it disguises itself as an ant.

Spider finder Brogan L Pett gave the species its name in honour of Taylor Swift's music, writing in Zootaxa that her tunes kept him "energised and motivated through many late nights at the microscope."

King Charles

A photo of King Charles combined with a photo of a camouflaged frogImage source, Getty Images/Luis A. Coloma

Nearly 15 years ago, King Charles - then Prince Charles - got a very special honour.

The Hyloscirtus princecharlesi was discovered in 2008, but was given its name in 2012 to celebrate the then-prince's work in promoting conservation.

The endangered frog is found in Ecuador, and - as you can see from the picture taken by the scientist who named it - it's quite hard to spot!

Greta Thunberg

A combined image showing a spider with a picture of Greta Thunberg from 2019.Image source, Getty Images

Someone else who's had a species named after them for helping out the environment is climate activist Greta Thunberg.

The Thunberga gretawas found in Madagascar and is a huntsman spider.

Spider expert Peter Jaeger gave it its name "in honour of Greta's commitment to tackling climate change".

Harry Potter and Severus Snape

Images of Harry Potter and Severus Snape next to a black and white photograph of a crab.Image source, Getty Images/Jose C.E. Mendoza/Peter K.L. Ng

Okay, so - whilst these are characters rather than real people - it deserves a mention, as the Harryplax severus crab is one of many creatures named after the Harry Potter world.

It was discovered 20 years before scientists realised it was actually a brand new species, hiding in plain sight.

And it's this secretive nature that led Jose Mendoza and Peter Ng to give the crab its name, after "Professor Severus Snape, for his ability to keep one of the most important secrets in the story."

Sir David Attenborough

Sir David Attenborough at a premiere.Image source, Getty Images

And of course... how could we end without mentioning the 100 year old nature-loving legend?

Sir David Attenborough has had over 50 species named after him, including butterflies, geckos, orchids, and extinct marine reptiles.

Including, to celebrate his 100th birthday, a new species of wasp - the Attenboroughnculus tau!