The discovery of a new species is a constant reminder of the evolution of our planet's biodiversity and the ability of species to adapt to their environment. A fascinating aspect of these discoveries is the way names are chosen for new species. Often, whoever discovers the creature is responsible for giving it a name, which usually reflects some distinctive characteristic of the species.

Sometimes the best way to represent a new species is to borrow the name of a fictional character. So what do researchers do when they discover a new species of crustacean that has both male and female characteristics? They named him after the popular character Ranma Saotome from the series 'Rating 1/2', created by Rumiko Takahashi.

In late July, the official Twitter account of Hokkaido University's Faculty of Science announced the discovery of a new species of tanaidacean, a small shrimp-like crustacean, between 2 and 5 millimeters long. The new species, called Apseudes ranmawas discovered at the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium by master's student Yoshinobu Matsushima and Dr. The researchers chose the name Apseudus ranma because this species has both male and female characteristics, which reminded them of the character Ranma from the famous series.

While the name is appropriate, it is important to note that Ranma Saotome is not technically a hermaphrodite.but it presents male or female phenotypes depending on the temperature of the water in which it is soaked: it becomes a girl when sprayed with cold water and turns back into a boy with hot water.

This is not the first case in which a character created by Rumiko Takahashi is used to name a new species. In 2014, a species of Opilion spider was named Taito kakera named after the Four Souls Jewel fragments from 'Inuyasha'. More recently, in 2020, a butterfly was named Cigarette syama lamuae in honor of Lum, the heroine of 'Urusei Yatsura'.

Source: Official Twitter Account