Neopalpa donaldtrumpi
| Neopalpa donaldtrumpi | |
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| Adult male specimen | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Gelechiidae |
| Genus: | Neopalpa |
| Species: | N. donaldtrumpi |
| Binomial name | |
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Neopalpa donaldtrumpi Nazari, 2017 |
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| Distribution of N. donaldtrumpi (yellow triangles) | |
Neopalpa donaldtrumpi is a moth species of the genus Neopalpa occurring in Southern California and Northern Mexico. It was described in 2017 by Canadian scientist Vazrick Nazari. He chose the name because the moth's head cover reminded him of the hair of then President-elect Donald Trump.
The genus Neopalpa, including the species Neopalpa neonata, was first described in 1998 by Dalibor Povolný. Almost two decades later, Nazari reviewed the material, including specimens that had been collected since the first description of the genus, from the Bohart Entomology Museum. He considered that some of the specimens formed a new species. In January 2017 he published an article naming it Neopalpa donaldtrumpi for the yellowish-white color of the scales on the head, which reminded him of then President-elect Donald Trump's hairstyle.
The upper surface of the N. donaldtrumpi forewings is orange-yellow except for dark brown patches on the fringe and anterior portions of the wing. The length between forewings is 3 mm (0.12 in) to 4.6 mm (0.18 in). Hindwings are pale buff, with dark fringes. The wings have similar coloration for both males and females. Its antennae are about two-thirds of its wingspan and its head is covered with yellowish white scales, which inspired the moth's name. Compared with N. neonata, the other species in the genus, N. donaldtrumpi male genitalia structures are smaller and female genitalia possess very few small setae.
While the closely related N. neonata occurs throughout much of California, Baja California and Northwest Mexico, specimens of N. donaldtrumpi so far has only been found in the Northern half of Baja California and Riverside and Imperial counties in Southern California.
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