Although U.S. President Barack Obama is about to step down, he has left an immortal name in taxonomy, thanks to the variety of creatures that bear his name. From extinct lizards to trapdoor spiders, nine different species of creatures have their names derived from the 44th president of the United States, more than any previous president.
Aptostichus barackobamai (trapdoor spider)
Trap-gate spiders, also known as trap spiders, can use soil, vegetation and silk to build cave doors, and silk acts as a trap for the leaf. In 2012, Jason Bond, a biologist at Auburn University in Alabama, published 33 new trapdoor spiders in the journal ZooKeys. Jason Bond named the spiders after celebrities, among which Aptostichus barackobamai takes its name from Obama. You can spot barack obamai in the redwood forests of north-central California, where they lurk next to insects, frogs, and even snakes, waiting for these prey to pass by traps.
Etheostoma Obama（spangled darter）
Tennessee's longest river is home to the dart perch, a small fish that prefers cold, clear waters. While examining the color variations of the spotted dart perch, biologists Richard Mayden and Steve Layman found that there was not just one species of fish, but five. Their communiqué, published in November 2012 at the Alabama Museum of Natural History, named the dart perch Etheostoma Obama. The fish is only 45 mm long and is brilliantly colored with fluorescent blue dots and stripes dotted with orange-red spots and stripes. Biologists say they decided to name the dart bass after Obama in light of his focus on clean energy and environmental protection.
Obamadon gracillis (extinct carnivorous lizard)
Obamadon gracillis is an insectivore lizard that existed on Earth five million years ago. The now-extinct Obamadon gracilis are only a third of a meter long, and they prey on insects with their long, straight fangs. Paleontologists found Obamaton fossils in montana's Hell Creek Rock Formation and published their findings in PNAS in December 2012.
Paragordius obamai (Golden nematode)
Gold nematode is a terrible parasite that can grow up to 30 cm long in the host. Fortunately, gold nematodes only infect crickets. One of the golden nematodes, the African nematode, was discovered in Kenya in 2012. Ben Hanelt, a biologist at the University of New Mexico, dissected the crickets and found that the golden nematode turned out to be all females. This is the first parthenogenesis gold nematode discovered by scientists, and the study was published in the April 2012 issue of PLOS ONE. Hanelt named the parasite Paragordius Obama in honor of Obama because the Kenyan town from which the president's father and step-grandmother came from was just 19 kilometers from where he found the parasite.
Baracktrema obamai (turtle schistosomiasis)
Earlier this year, another parasite named after Obama came from the blood of a Malaysian freshwater turtle. The study, published in The Journal of Parasitology in August, showed that Baracktrema obamai, as slender as human hair, settled in turtle lungs and laid eggs there. Thomas Platt, a biologist at St. Mary's College, has publicly said that naming the president is a compliment rather than an insult. Because the resilience that obamai has shown throughout its life cycle reminds him of Obama.
Nystalus obamai（western striolated puffbird）
In 2008, Bret Whitney, a biologist from Louisiana State University, was doing field work in the Amazon when he heard a bird song he had never heard before. After analyzing their DNA, Whitney realized that he had discovered a new type of tyrannosaur, a stout, fluffy bird with a particularly large head that lived mainly in the Amazon treetops. Whitney named it Nystalus obamai in the June 2013 Handbook of World Birds in honor of Obama's impact on the development of green technologies, particularly solar energy.
Teleogramma obamaorum (Afrikaanidae)
The Teleogramma Obamaorum, found in a stream 40 kilometers from congo in Africa, is the second fish named after Obama. This cichlid was discovered in 2011, when drought caused the water level to drop, and researchers who sampled in the area found them. Melanie Stiassny, a ichthyologist at the American Museum of Natural History, named the fish the president in the April 2015 issue of American Museum Novitates magazine as a token of gratitude for his commitment to science education and environmental protection in Africa.
Caloplaca obamae（firedot lichen）
This orange-red lichen, firedot lichen, grows only on Santa Rosa Island off the coast of California. The director of the University of California Lichen Pavilion discovered the species in 2007 when he conducted a survey of lichen diversity on a small island in California. It was nearing the end of the presidential election. "I named it Caloplaca Obamae as a sign of my appreciation to the president for his support of science and science education," the researchers said. Caloplaca Obamae is an organism that Obama named after him after taking office. They live on the surface, grow slowly, and can live for many years, as a result of the coexistence of fungi and algae. The study was published in the March 2009 issue of the journal Opuscula Philolichenum.
Tosanoides obama（coral reef basslet）
The creature that recently named Obama is a coral fish with pink, blue and yellow colors. Tosanoides Obama was discovered in June at the PapaHanau Moquakia National Marine Sanctuary in Hawaii. In August, Obama expanded the total area of the reserve to 150,8870 square kilometres. The decree makes it the largest ecological reserve on earth, and this protected area prohibits any commercial exploitation. Richard Pyle, a marine biologist at the Honolulu Bishop Museum, discovered and named the fish in honor of the president's respect for and protection of nature.
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These nine different creatures have been named after Barack Obama