Are Bush's slime mold beetles named after political figures?

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Entomologists Quentin Wheeler and Kelly B. Miller named three newly discovered species of slime-mold beetles after President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as a form of honor. The species are Agathidium bushi, Agathidium cheneyi, and Agathidium rumsfeldi. This naming choice sparked a debate about the appropriateness of honoring political figures in such a manner, with some questioning the significance of naming a bug after a president and expressing skepticism about the honor itself. The discussion also touched on the nature of entomology and the motivations behind such naming conventions, with some participants expressing a preference for more conventional forms of recognition.
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just had to share this...

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/04/14/bush.beetle.ap/index.html

Entomologists Quentin Wheeler and Kelly B. Miller, who recently had the task of naming 65 newly discovered species of slime-mold beetles, named three species after the president, vice president and defense secretary.
The monikers: Agathidium bushi Miller and Wheeler, Agathidium cheneyi Miller and Wheeler, and Agathidium rumsfeldi Miller and Wheeler.

Ironically, they did it to honor the Pres. et al.
I wonder if the beetles are Republican.
 
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:smile:If they aren't then I hope they aren't offended!:smile:

An entomologist is someone who studies bugs right? :bugeye:

Why would you want to honour the President by naming a bug after him? I wonder what he thinks about it. :rolleyes:
 
Gary Larson, author of the Far Side, had a bug named after him. I read it in one of his books
 
misskitty said:
Why would you want to honour the President by naming a bug after him? I wonder what he thinks about it. :rolleyes:
Bush doesn't even deserve to be named after a bug.
 
If they were doing it to seriously "honor" him and like Bush... man... how bout a plaque or a letter of thanks or ... something not a bug :D
 

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