A New Zealand biologist (and most likely Harry Potter enthusiast) is on a mission to help the reputation of wasps.
How? By naming a new breed after an iconic Harry Potter character.
Lusius Malfoyi (yes, named after Lucius Malfoy) is the new, non-stinging wasp that has been discovered in NZ by biologist Tom Saunders.
“People see wasps as villains, as the ‘bad guys.’ But the truth is that the vast majority of wasp species are either neutral or beneficial, from a human standpoint. Just as Lucius Malfoy is pardoned after separating from Voldemort’s allies, I’m asking people to pardon wasps in order to restore their reputation as interesting, important creatures,” he told CNN.
Although Lucius is fairly evil throughout the books, he redeems himself right at the end by leaving Voldemort’s army to save his family.
Just in case you didn’t know that already…
As for Tom Saunders, he is also using this naming technique in an effort to bring attention to the species that New Zealand is slowly losing.
“I was inspired to name this species in a way that would hopefully spark a larger conversation about the relationship that humans have with the millions of species that share the planet with us.”
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