Pokémon fan and Ph.D. student Yun suggested the idea of naming the beetles after the legendary birds because he wanted the monikers to refer to the rarity of the species that has only a few specimens. Although the beetles are not as brightly colored as their animated namesakes, they are described as ‘different’ because they have a very small color variation.
Image credit: Dr. Darren Pollock / Yun Hsiao.
Like Pokémon’s legendary birds, the trio of beetles can be easily identified by each other. Binburrum articuno (far left) has a silvery brown color over its body and wings, while Binburrum moltres (middle) has a very distinct two-tone color with a golden upper half and a black lower half, and the Binburrum zapdos (right) . ) has black wings with a golden protorax between its body and head.
“Yun says he was an aspiring Pokémon trainer when he was young, which is why, because of the rarity of the monsters of the three new species, he suggested we name them after the three legendary Pokémon,” Pollock explained . “I thought it was a great idea. The new species introduced to the world in 2020 are Binburrum articuno, Binburrum moltres and Binburrum zapdos.”
Pollock noted how important it is to name a species and choose a name that has not been used before to distinguish between the samples. He also indicated that more new species of the same species have been discovered since its publication and that they may have referred to their Pokedex of Pocket Samples to assign even more Pokémon names to the insects.Importantly, this study emerged in the 25th year of Pokémon’s existence. Celebrations are expected to continue for the rest of 2021. The Pokémon Company has already shared incredible news, including brand new game revelations and details for the new Pokémon Snap. There are also announcements for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and the open world Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Adele Ankers is a freelance entertainment journalist. You can reach her Twitter.