Two entomologists have decided to name their new species of recently discovered Australian beetles Binburrum articuno, Binburrum milk, en Binburrum zapdos, bringing back the full circle of Pokémon to what originally inspired the hit video game series.
In the world of scientific research, those who do the hard work of delivering new findings may also mention it, and in the case of the entomology of Eastern New Mexico University. Professor Dr. Darren Pollock, and the Australian National University Ph.D. student Yun Hsiao, this means that their latest beetle discoveries should be immortalized using the names of three of Pokémon’s most famous and powerful birds.
“I met about 5 or 6 years ago a Taiwanese entomology student named Yun Hsiao,” Pollock told the University of New Mexico press. in an interview last week. “When he first made contact with me, it was clear that he knew his (beetle) well and was very enthusiastic about the same things I was.”
During his Ph.D. studies, Pollock discovered a new kind of beetle he went on to name ‘Binburrum. Recently, Hsiao discovered several beetles of the same species while collecting samples for his own work. The new beetles were so clear that the two decided to collaborate on the documentation and naming thereof for an article published in The Canadian Entomologist.
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“The choice of a name for a new species is not insignificant; it must be different from any other described species, ”said Pollock. “One of the ways to ensure that is to make a name that no one would ever think of before.”
He went on:
Yun says he was an aspiring Pokémon trainer when he was young, which is why he suggested we name it after the three legendary bird Pokémon, because of the rare appearance of the three new species. Of course, I thought it was a great idea, and so the new species introduced to the world in 2020 Binburrum articuno, Binburrum moltres and Binburrum zapdos – all with Hsiao and Pollock as authors. We already have plans to describe more new species of this kind that have appeared since the article’s completion, with perhaps more Pokémon names.
The big irony here is that the Pokémon series is self-inspired in part by insect collection. Game Freak co-founds a Pokémon director Satoshi Tajiri was known so in insects that grew up that his classmates gave him the nickname “Mr. Bug. “Inspired by his childhood love of insect collection and his later passion for video games, Tajiri finally got the idea for a Game Boy game where players could collect creatures and fight each other. Six years later, Pokémon Red and Green has been released.
Life is now mimicking art and the names of its creatures are being used to better catalog wildlife in the real world.