A newly discovered crustacean just got named after singer and composer Elton John. The crustacean was found living inside tunicates in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, reported Discovery News.
James Thomas, a researcher at Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., discovered the shrimp-like crustacean and decided to name it Leucothoe eltoni after the singer. Apparently, the animal's enlarged appendages reminded him of John's character Pinball Wizard from the movie "Tommy" since he wore gigantic shoes.
"I named the species in honor of Sir Elton John because I have listened to his music in my lab during my entire scientific career," said Thomas in a press release. "So, when this unusual crustacean with a greatly enlarged appendage appeared under my microscope after a day of collecting, an image of the shoes Elton John wore as the Pinball Wizard came to mind."
Leucothoe eltoni has been spotted in Indonesia, the Philippines and Hawaii, although it is considered as an invasive species in Hawaii. Thomas explained the crustacean species probably inhabited a tunicate or a sponge attached to a U.S. Navy dry dock that was brought to Pearl Harbor from Subic Bay, Philippines, and got introduced into Hawaii, where it was last seen inside a sponge in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu.
According to Thomas, its effect on the native species and the extent of its distribution in Hawaii's marine environment are not yet known.
The study was published in the Aug. 25 issue of the journal Zookeys.
