Nannaria swiftae

Swift twisted-claw millipede
MaleN. swiftaefromVan Buren County, Tennessee.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Myriapoda
Class:	Diplopoda
Order:	Polydesmida
Family:	Xystodesmidae
Genus:	Nannaria
Species:	N. swiftae
Binomial name
Nannaria swiftae Hennen, Means & Marek, 2022

Nannaria swiftae,also known as theSwift twisted-claw millipedeorTaylor Swift's millipede,is aspeciesofmillipedein the familyXystodesmidae.It is found only in theAppalachian mountainsof the U.S. state ofTennessee.It was discovered anddescribedin 2022 byentomologistsDerek Hennen, Jackson Means and Paul Marek, who expanded the genusNannariato 78 species. They named the species in honor of American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift.

Description

As part of a multi-year project to collect new specimens of themillipedesthroughout theEastern United States,scientists including Derek Hennen ofVirginia Techtraveled to 17 states, to find the species, sequence their DNA, andscientifically describethem. Over 1,800 specimens were collected and assessed during their field study spanning five years. In the end, the team described 17 new species, one of which isN. swiftae.

Nannaria swiftaeis aflat-backedmillipede that hastergiteswith two paranotal orange spots,collumoutlined in orange, and tergites with background chestnut brown.

Name

The naming of an animal species is required to comply with the guidelines established by theInternational Commission on Zoological Nomenclature(ICZN), which allow names that honor people, including celebrities.N. swiftaewas named after American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift"in recognition of her talent as a songwriter and performer and in appreciation of the enjoyment her music has brought DAH."Hennen, the lead author of the scientist team that discovered the species, said Swift's music "helped [him] get through the highs and lows of graduate school, so naming a new millipede species after her is [his] way of saying thanks."Of the 16 new species described by Hennen, he pickedN. swiftaeto be named after Swift as the species isendemicto Swift's home state,Tennessee.The millipede received extensivemainstream mediacoverage due to its name.

Distribution

Nannaria swiftaeis currently found only in Tennessee, a state in theUnited States,especially in theAppalachiancounties ofCumberland,Monroe,andVan Buren.

Habitat

The species has been collected frommesicforests withhemlock,maple,oak,tuliptree,witch hazel,andpinetrees, at elevations ranging from 481 metres to 1539 metres.

See also

• Castianeira swiftay- species of spider named after Swift

• List of organisms named after famous people

Further reading

• Hoffman, Richard L. (1999).Checklist of the millipeds of North and Middle America.Virginia Museum of Natural History Special Publications. Vol. 8.ISBN9781884549120.