New millipede species named after Taylor Swift

By Jim Leffman via SWNS

A new species of creepy-crawly that largely lives underground has been named after pop sensation Taylor Swift.

The twisted-claw millipede or Nannaria swiftae, was one of 17 new species discovered in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States.

The lead author of the new study, Dr. Derek Hennen is a fan of the singer and wanted to thank her in his own unique way.

He said: ""Her music helped me get through the highs and lows of graduate school, so naming a new millipede species after her is my way of saying thanks."

Luckily there were enough new species that he could also name one after his wife Marian, Nannaria marianae.

The new Taylor Swift millipede, described in the open access journal ZooKeys ranges between 18 and 38 mm long.

It has a shiny caramel-brown to black body with white, red, or orange spots, and white legs.

The males have small, twisted and flattened claws on their anterior legs, which is the basis for their common name.

They live on the forest floor, where they feed on decaying leaves and other plant matter.

Researchers said they are somewhat tricky to catch, because they tend to remain buried in the soil, sometimes staying completely beneath the surface.

But the invertebrates play a valuable role as decomposers, breaking down leaf litter, they release their nutrients into the ecosystem.

Over a number of years, researchers from Virginia Tech looked at over 1800 specimens collected on their field study or taken from university and museum collections.

They traveled to 17 US states, checking under leaf litter, rocks, and logs to find species so that they could sequence their DNA and scientifically describe them.