Gotta Discover ‘Em All: New Cockroach Species Named after a Pokemon

By: Gabriel Abrigonda (Resistome)

On February 2023, entomologists

Cristian Lucanas of th the University of the Philippines - Los Baños Museum of Natural History (MNH) and Foo Maosheng of Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) both discovered a new cockroach species, Nocticola pheromosa, collected from the Bukit Nature Reserve of Singapore The new species was named after an Ultra Beast Pokemon called Pheromosa due to similar characteristics of the two .....

Male samples of the new species were obtained in 2016 as part of a comprehensive biodiversity survey in the Bukit Nature Reserve of Singapore. The collected specimens were stored and preserved in the LKCNHM at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Mr. Lucañas and Mr Maosheng found no record of the species in Singapore, which suggested it was a new species that needed documentation N pheromosa is the first member of the Nocticola genus ever recorded in Singapore and will be added to the genus with 32 other species

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N pheromosa is said to have a similar external morphology as another species of the same genus s

– Nocticola adebratti

However, it was found that the obtained samples had different genitalia structure and wing venation patterns compared to other known species, confirming that it was actually a new and undiscovered species With this, the two researchers have made it their next step to find a female counterpart of the same species to further compare and contrast the two sexes.

As avid fans of Pokemon, Mr Lucañas and Maosheng took inspiration from the video game series in naming the species. They named the cockroach species after the Ultra Beast Pokemon Pheromosa due to the resemblance in appearance between the two The fictional and non-fictional Pheromosa, and the other members of the genus Nocticola, all have elongated appendages, reduced coloration, and outstanding speed

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By naming the new species after a Pokemon, Mr. Lucañas, and Mr. Maosheng aim to highlight these cockroaches diversity and ecological significance amidst their infamous identity of being pests in comparison to many other insects