Researchers have described a new beetle genus and named it Luffy, drawing inspiration from the manga character in One Piece. According to ScienceDaily, the name was chosen because the insects have unusually long and slender mandibles, antennae, and maxillary palps that reminded scientists of Luffy’s rubber-like abilities.
The genus currently includes two identified species: Luffy schillhammeri and Luffy nika. Luffy schillhammeri was found in broadleaf forests in Yunnan Province, China, while Luffy nika was discovered in Louang Namtha in northern Laos.
Scientists said the second species’ name refers to Luffy’s Devil Fruit awakening, known as “Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika,” or Gear 5. The beetle also has white bands of hair on its wing covers and much of its body, which researchers said resembled Luffy’s white, smoke-covered appearance during that transformation.
The study, published in the open-access journal ZooKeys, did more than introduce a memorable name. PhD student Fang-Shuo Hu and Alexey Solodovnikov of the Natural History Museum of Denmark reviewed the Ocypus group and compared specimens to clarify relationships among several beetle groups.
Based on their analysis, the researchers concluded that Luffy is likely the sister group of the Eucibdelus lineage. They said the genus adds an important piece to the classification of these beetles and may help improve understanding of their evolutionary history.
