A newly discovered genus of rove beetle has been found and officially named Luffy after the famous protagonist of the globally renowned manga and anime “One Piece.”
But scientists claim that the choice of name is rooted in biology, not just fandom.
The insects, published in the scientific journal ZooKeys, have extremely long and thin mandibles, antennae, and mouthparts, which bear an uncanny resemblance to the elasticity of Monkey D. Luffy, the pirate captain whose limbs can elongate whenever he wants.
Thus far, there have been only two species discovered in the new genus.
One of the species, known as Luffy schillhammeri, is named in honour of Dr Harald Schillhammer of the Natural History Museum Vienna due to his work on rove beetles.
The second species identified as Luffy nika was found in northern Laos, taking its name from Luffy’s legendary “Gear 5” transformation. The beetle has striking white bands of hair across its body similar to Luffy’s white, smoke-wreathed appearance during that iconic form.
Besides its pop culture significance, the discovery also holds scientific merit.
The scientists performed a thorough study of the Ocypus lineage of rove beetles, where they studied the anatomical structures of many specimens. It was determined that the newly discovered genus has dorsal ridge teeth belonging to the “Eucibdelus lineage” and does not have a fully sclerotised labrum, making Luffy the sister group of the whole Eucibdelus lineage.
The naming also has a specific aim to attract public attention to taxonomy.
2026-08-04 21:27:00
