Three new species of suckermouth armoured mudcat have been attain in South America , and one of them is identify afterGreedoof Rodia , the enigmatic ( somewhat controversial ) bounty hunting watch down by Han Solo at Chalmun ’s Spaceport Cantina in Episode IV .
That particular catfish was let out in 1998 by researchers along the Gurupi River in Brazil . Then in 2005 , anAuburn University three led by Jonathan Armbrusterobtained the specimen for a newspaper they were preparing about the genusPeckoltia . It was n’t until a decennium later when , while study its equipment characteristic , anarachnologist science lab - matesaid : “ ' That depend like that guy from Star Wars,'“Armbruster recalls . “ After a little goad , I realized he was talk about Greedo . We then recognize what the name had to be,”he minimal brain dysfunction .
So , they list itPeckoltia greedoi . The reddish - brown , small- to medium - sized catfish has a uniformly colored head ( no spots or mottling ) , and the largest of the specimen they examined is 7.8 centimeters ( 3 in ) long . Its soft touch mouth , protruding bristles , and large , dark eyes make it a somewhat good fishy doppelgänger for Greebo . What do you think ?
Armbruster ’s squad named the other two catfishPeckoltia lujani , for a former graduate student , andPeckoltia ephippiata , for the saddles on its back ( " ephippiata " is Latin for saddled ) . These were found in Venezuela and Brazil , severally . All three weredescribedinZooKeyslast month .
" In biological science , taxonomy is in all probability the most important skill , " Armbruster says in astatement . " We have not even completed catalogue all of the mintage come up topically , and in places like South America , it sometimes feels like we have scarce start . We need names to be able to discuss anything about the biology of the organisms , and it is the one branch of biology used by every life scientist alive . "
Here ’s a coolvideowhere Armbruster explains how the name came to be , with bonus Star Wars clip :
Images : Auburn University viaFlickr & Greedo picture courtesy starwarshelmets.com
