It’s a very small insect – a micro moth, in fact – with a yu-u-u-ge name: Neopalpa donaldtrumpi.

The previously unrecorded twirler moth was unveiled with a flourish this month just days before its namesake, Donald Trump, was inaugurated 45th President of the United States.

Distinctive whitish-yellow scales that adorn the insect’s head reminded the evolutionary biologist who identified and named the critter of the incoming president’s flyaway hair – thus the name.

The publicity value of a tie-in with the new POTUS didn’t hurt, either.

“By naming this species after the 45th president of the United States, I hope to bring some public attention to, and interest in, the importance of alpha-taxonomy in better understanding the neglected micro-fauna component of the North American biodiversity,” Dr. Vazrick Nazari, the discoverer, said.

Matters of alpha-taxonomy – the science of detecting, describing and classifying new species – aside, the unobtrusive little moth that makes its home in southern California joins the ranks of a distinguished menagerie of bugs, fish, birds and all sorts of living things hauled out of obscurity by scientists and named after famous people.

Here are a few other formerly anonymous creatures who now boast a big-time back story:

Tosanoides obama – The flashy fish was discovered during a June 2016 NOAA expedition to Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Scientists named the golden coral reef dweller after Hawaii-born Barack Obama, former U.S. president who expanded the national monument to an area about twice the size of Texas, making it the largest permanent marine protected area on earth.

Aptostichus angelinajolieae – This trapdoor spider, a nocturnal arthropod, leaps out of its burrow, seizes its prey and injects it with venom. The name honors actress Angelina Jolie and her work on the UN Refugee Agency. Biologist Jason Bond, a professor at Auburn University who has discovered 33 different species of this American Southwest spider, has named many of them for celebrities – and one after his daughter, Elisabeth.

Eristalis gatesi – This harmless hoverfly feeds on nectar and pollen and is found only in high-altitude cloud forests in Costa Rica. The insect is named after Microsoft founder Bill Gates “in recognition of his great contributions to the science of dipterology,” the scientific study of flies, according to an uncredited citation in Wikipedia.

Aleiodes shakirae – The female of this tiny Equadorian wasp injects its egg into a particular type of caterpillar. As the larva develops and grows, it slowly eats the host caterpillar, which bends, twists and contorts as it dies. The motion reminded scientists of the alluring dance moves of singer Shakira (“Hips Don’t Lie”).

Livyatan melvillei – Fossilized remains of this humongous extinct whale, which lived 12 to 13 million years ago, were discovered in 2008 in the coastal desert of Peru. The paleontologists behind the excavation, fans of “Moby-Dick,” named their find after the classic novel’s author, Herman Melville.

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