One Piece's Luffy inspires name of newly discovered beetle group

Monkey D Luffy. PIC COURTESY/WIKIPEDIA

A newly discovered group of beetles has stretched the rules of taxonomy and earned a name inspired by anime character Luffy after Monkey D Luffy - the rubber-bodied protagonist of the manga and anime series ‘One Piece'.

These rove beetles have exceptionally long, slender mandibles, antennae, and mouthparts that give them a distinctly stretched appearance. The genus currently includes Luffy schillhammeri and Luffy nika, two beetles found in the forests of Southeast Asia.

Luffy schillhammeri honors Dr Harald Schillhammer of the Natural History Museum Vienna, who has made major contributions rove beetle study. Luffy nika refers to Luffy's Devil Fruit awakening, "Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika".

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