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A very unique species of bug with unique sex organs and spiky horns was recently named after pop superstar Lady Gaga.
The treehopper insect from Nicaragua, known as Kaikaia gaga, certainly brings to mind the singer's bizarre, colorful costumes.
According to researchers, treehoppers suck on plant juices, sing to each other by vibrating plant stems, and are a vital food source for other forest creatures.
Entomologist Brendan Morris of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign decided to name the bug after Lady Gaga in recognition of what he calls the artist's "flamboyant, shape-shifting style."
A unique species of bug with "wacky" sex organs has been named after pop superstar Lady Gaga. (UI Public Affairs/L. Brian Stauffer)
“If there is going to be a Lady Gaga bug, it’s going to be a treehopper, because they’ve got these crazy horns, they have this wacky fashion sense about them,” Morris said in a statement. “They’re unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.”
The bugs, which apparently tend to be overlooked, reside in many of the world's forested areas.
"I love outrageous forms and colors. It blows my mind that a group that is roughly 40 million years old has so much diversity of form — diversity, I would argue, that we don't see in any other family of insects."
Morris and his colleagues published their observations in the journal Zootaxa.
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