New species of firefly in Mexico is named after Guillermo del Toro

A new species of firefly in Mexico bears the name of the winning director and recent Oscar nominee Guillermo del Toro, thanks to the discovery of a group of entomologists from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

“Photinus guillermodeltoroi” It is the scientific name of this firefly that inhabits the forests of the Sierra de Tapalpa, south of the western state of Jalisco, where Del Toro was also born, explained Geovanni Rodríguez, an academic at the Faculty of Higher Studies Zaragoza, in an interview with EFE. from UNAM.

The entomologist, dedicated to the study of insects, explained that the idea that the insect bears the name of the film director as “Pinocchio” and “The Shape of Water” It was agreed upon by the members of the research team, who wanted to pay homage to the filmmaker and his taste for insects.

“It was a new species for Jalisco and we looked for someone to whom we could dedicate it and we decided to choose him for his career, it is a small recognition of his work, in addition to the fact that his knowledge of insects is well known, as in the movie Mimic or Chronos”he pointed.

This species was found in the Sierra de Tapalpa in 2015 and is characterized by its light brown color.

The study “Fireflies (Coleóptera Lampyridae) of North West Mexico” It is headed by UNAM academic Santiago Zaragoza and is part of an investigation that began in the year 2000 in four areas of the country in which another 90 new species have been found.

The most recent results of 2022 were published in the Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad where entomologists describe 48 species named after other Mexican characters such as the writer Juan Rulfo “Photinus juanrulfoi” and the painters Frida Kahlo “Photinus fridakahloae” and Diego Rivera “Photinus diegoriveroi,” Rodríguez explained.

According to the work carried out by the group of entomologists, in Mexico, there are 281 recognized, registered and described fireflies, although they estimate that there would be another 80 species that have not yet been identified.

“Fireflies are important insects for the ecosystem, every living being has the right to be preserved, including this insect, which are predatory organisms that can control populations of other animals such as earthworms, snails and slugs”he concluded.

Source: Efe