"Canberra News, Views and Opinion"
News media as far afield as the Sacramento Bee are excitedly picking up a CSIRO media release from last week in which Canberra’s CSIRO boffin Bryan Lessard has named a gold arsed horsefly after Beyonce.
According to the Australian National Insect Collection researcher responsible for officially ‘describing’ the fly as Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae, CSIRO’s Bryan Lessard, the fly’s spectacular gold colour makes it the “all time diva of flies”.
“It was the unique dense golden hairs on the fly’s abdomen that led me to name this fly in honour of the performer Beyoncé as well as giving me the chance to demonstrate the fun side of taxonomy – the naming of species,” Mr Lessard said.
“Although often considered a pest, many species of horse fly are extremely important pollinators of many plants,” he said.
“Horse flies act like hummingbirds during the day, drinking nectar from their favourite varieties of grevillea, tea trees and eucalypts.”
The rare Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae species of horse fly was collected in 1981, the year that Beyoncé was born, from north-east Queensland’s Atherton Tablelands together with two other previously unknown specimens.
The CSIRO’s info page for Bryan shows he’s based out of the Insect Collection on Clunies Ross Street.
And my hasn’t all the world’s new jumped for this simple ploy.
Which means it’s time for this:
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Well they both have nicely rounded buttocks and the ability to annoy the hell out of you with their incessant droning.
I’m waiting for the Kanye fly that constantly interrupts everything you do.
Is it just me who things naming a fly after Beyonce is offensive and slightly racist? Or am I over-reacting again?
matt31221 said :
Yes and yes.
‘…the fun side of taxonomy…’ I suspect that this is related to the fragrant side of proctology.
Nice fly butt.
matt31221 said :
Are you afraid the fly’s feelings will be hurt?
matt31221 said :
How is it racist? Because Beyonce is black? And anything that involves people who aren’t white is racist? I’m really, REALLY struggling to understand where you get this from.
It does have a gold ring on it…
DrKoresh said :
I agree, just how is naming something after someone racist? Or can we only name cute furry animals after people dark skin.
Obviously its grabbed attention worldwide, but if I ever discover anything, i’m naming it after myself
millions of maggots named ivy blue
danggers16 said :
Imma get the Koreshian Butt-Worm named after me before I die