Researchers named a new crustacean spotted off the coast of Indonesia after Sir Elton John, but not for any of the acclaimed singer's hit singles.
According to Discovery News, authors of a study published in the journal ZooKeys named the shrimp-ish creature Leucothoe eltoni for a movie character. James Thomas, the crustacean's discoverer, said L. eltoni reminded him of "The Pinball Wizard," a character John portrayed in "Tommy."
"I named the species in honour of Sir Elton John because I have listened to his music in my lab during my entire scientific career," Thomas, the study's lead author from the Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, said 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."
The researchers found the shrimp-looking crustacean off the coast of Indonesia's Raja Ampat amid the coral reefs and it has also been spotted near Hawaii.
"Several years ago I was contacted by scientists from the Bishop Museum in Honolulu to help identify an unusual amphipod they had collected," Thomas said in the release. "Such studies show the importance of regular environmental monitoring, especially in tropical environments."
