A blood-sucking parasite that infests fish has been named in honor of reggae star Bob Marley.
An American biologist has named a newly-discovered small blood-sucking parasite, found in the Caribbean Sea, after the Jamaican musician and singer, Bob Marley.
“I named this species, which is truly a natural wonder, after Marley because of my respect and admiration for Marley’s music,” said Paul Sikkel, an assistant professor of marine ecology and a field marine biologist at Arkansas State University.
Discovered off the US Virgin Islands, the tiny creature, which is a blood feeder and lives in the Caribbean, is named “Gnathia marleyi.”
Sikkel further noted that “this species is as uniquely Caribbean as was Marley.”
According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), a United States government agency, Gnathia marleyi belongs to the family of gnathiid isopods and is considered as the first new species which is discovered in the Caribbean in more than two decades.
Born on February 6, 1945 Bob Marley was a world-renowned singer, songwriter and musician.
The Jamaican artist is the most widely known and revered performer of reggae music, a kind of popular music originally from Jamaica, with a strong regular beat.
Marley is credited with helping spread the Jamaican music to a worldwide audience.
He died on the morning of May 11, 1981 in the US at the age of 36.
As NSF said, naming new species after famous people is not uncommon as Microsoft boss Bill Gates has a flower fly and Elvis Presley, the popular American singers has a wasp.
