A scientist dubbed a fly species “Opaluma RuPaul” in honor of the iconic, Emmy-winning RuPaul’s Drag Race host for its “charisma and uniqueness.”
There’s a new fly(fly, fly, fly, uh oh, uh oh)in town: hey welcome to the stage, Miss “OpalumaRuPaul!”
An Australian scientist has named a new fly species after the Emmy-winningRuPaul’s Drag Racehost, thanks to the rainbow-hued insects “charisma and uniqueness” among the bug community.
RuPaul now has a fly, the ‘Opaluma RuPaul,’ named after him.World of Wonder; CSIRO
Dr. Bryan Lessardof Australia’s National Research Collectionsgave the colorful flyits title to raise awareness about the insect world in the region, especially after the devastating toll taken by the Black Summer bushfires particularly in Queensland’s Lamington National Park, where this endangered species dwells between 2019 and 2020.
Mama Ru tweeted about the news Wednesday, highlighting an interview in which Lessard said the fly had “a costume of shiny metallic rainbow colors” and “legs for days,” just like its namesake drag superstar.
“I’d been watching a lot ofRuPaul’s Drag Racewhen I was examining the specimen under the microscope, so it was on my mind!”
Lessard toldCNN.
“And I really wanted to give this group of flies a memorable name because it needs the attention the first specimen of this RuPaul fly was collected over a hundred years ago and sat neglected in a museum collection until someone with the knowledge of that group came along to name and document them.”
The Opaluma RuPaul isn’t the firstDrag Race-insect crossover, however; many queens from the long-running reality competition have worn bug-inspired outfits on the runway.
RecentAll Stars 6competitor Silky Nutmeg Ganachedebuted a fly-inspired look back on season 11, BenDeLaCreme oncewerked the main stage dressed as a beetle, and Alaska famously wore a cockroach-patterned dress for theAll Stars 2reunion episode.
In addition to the RuPaul tribute, Lessard also named three rare beetles after a trio of hard-to-find characters from thePokemonfranchise: Binburrum Articuno, Binburrum Zapdos, and Binburrum Moltres.
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