Pokemon Inspires the Name of Newly Discovered Cockroach

Pokemon has done it again. The franchise has been around for decades, and thanks to its global popularity, fans of all ages have found ways to tie Pokemon to the real world. Some of the wildest examples of this come with scientists naming real-world species after Pokemon. And thanks to one Singaporean researcher, the world's newest cockroach has been named after a familiar bug-type creature.

The update comes from Science Direct as the publication confirmed entomologists Foo Maosheng and Ipis Lord discovered a new genus of cockroach. The creature was named the Nocticola pheromosa, and that name should be familiar to Pokemon fans. After all, Pheromosa is a Pokemon from Pokemon Sun and Moon, and their Ultra Beast origins turned the creature into one of the best Pokemon around Alola.

A new delicate epigean Nocticola has been described and also serves as the first record of this genus from Singapore.@IpisLord and I have named it after the #Pokemon Pheromosa, with specimens in @lkcnhm pic.twitter.com/KiUJZUFYtZ

— BugCatcher_Mao (@BugcatcherM) March 6, 2023

Over on Twitter, Maosheng confirmed the name was an intentional nod to Pokemon. The scientist admits he and Lord are big fans of Pokemon, and they noticed some real similarities between the fictional creature and their real-world find. In particular, Maosheng said the Nocticola pheromosa mimicked the Pokemon in some ways with its swift movements and elongated antennae. If the IRL bug were a paler hue, the two creatures would share striking similar visuals. 

Now, this is not the first time Pokemon has inspired scientists and their real-life discoveries. Back in 2021, headlines cropped up after three rare Australian beetles were unearthed and named after Kanto's legendary birds. Binburrum Articuno, Binburrum Moltres and Binburrum Zapdos are now part of history... and there are more like them. The Chilicola Charizard, Stentorceps Weedlei, Aerodactylus Scolopaciceps, and Bulbasaurus Phylloxyron are all real-life creatures named after beloved Pokemon. So really, the cliche of life imitating art is incredibly true so far as Pokemon is concerned.

As the Pokemon franchise continues to grow, you can expect more and more scientists to fall for this naming trope. It won't be long before Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet see its monsters crop up in an entomology journal. Given how many people play Pokemon Go or binge the Pokemon anime, the franchise is inspiring future scientists to this day. So hopefully, there will come a day when people will be able to somewhat seriously catch a Butterfree or Venomoth like Ash Ketchum before them!

What do you make of this latest Pokemon namesake? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.