Nebraska Entomologist Names New Beatles After ‘Game of Thrones’ Series

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A Nebraska entomologist has named three of his eight newest beetle discoveries after the dragons from the HBO series “Game of Thrones” and George R.R. Martin book series “A Song of Ice and Fire.”

University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor Brett Ratcliffe named the new scarab beetle species drogoni, rhaegali and viserioni. The names are Latinized versions of three dragons featured in the popular fictional work.

Ratcliffe says he’s named hundreds of species over his 50-year career and creating new names becomes difficult. He says he’s a fan of the series, but ultimately chose the names to draw attention to biodiversity and the amount of undiscovered species.
Drogoni and viserioni can be found in Colombia and Ecuador, while rhaegali is in the French Guiana.