New butterfly species named after Sauron. Lord of the Rings character popular in animal world.

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New butterfly species named after Sauron

Lord of the Rings character popular in animal world

Foto: Natural History Museum

Sauron, the greatest antagonist in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books, has given name to a newly discovered group of butterflies, according to BBC. The reason why researchers thought "Saurona" was a fitting name is because the butterflies' patterns resemble Sauron's eye, the large fiery orb that keeps watch over Mordor and is visible in the image below.

So far, two species of Saurona butterflies have been classified, Saurona triangular and Saurona aurigera. However, it is believed that other butterfly species can also be classified in the Saurona group in the future. Saurona butterflies are mainly found in the tropics of South America.

This is not the first time Sauron has named animal species. The name has previously been used for a dung beetle species, a frog species, and a dinosaur species. Other Tolkien characters that have given name to animal species include Gandalf, who has, among other things, had a crab species named after him, and Gollum, who has given name to snails, wasps, and a fish species, according to the British National History Museum.

nhm.ac.uk

Science,

Sauron, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Saurona butterflies, South America

Via bbc.com