Biologists Name New Water Mite After Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez has received an unusual new honor after scientists in Puerto Rico agreed to name a new species of water mite after the superstar.

The singer, whose parents hail from Puerto Rico, inspired biologist Vladimir Pesic and his colleagues to call their new discovery the Litarachna lopezae mite after bonding over Lopez’s many hits while documenting their finds in a new study, which was published online on Tuesday.

He says, “The reason behind the unusual choice of name for the new species is… simple: J.Lo’s songs and videos kept the team in a continuous good mood when writing the manuscript and watching World Cup soccer 2014.”

The pontarachnid mites were found deep in a coral reef in Mona Passage, a dangerous body of water between the Caribbean island and the border of the Dominican Republic, between 2010 and 2012.

Lopez isn’t the first celebrity to have an odd species find named after her – Mick Jagger, Bono and Bob Marley also boast similar honors.

Photo Credit: AGIF / Shutterstock.com

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