Beetle named after environmental activist Greta Thunberg

Britain’s Natural History Museum has named a tiny, blind and wingless beetle after 17-year-old environmental activist Greta Thunberg.

Nelloptodes gretae, measuring less than 1 mm, was discovered in Nairobi (Kenya) in the 1960s. It belongs to the Ptiliidae family of beetles, which includes some of the smallest insects in the world.

“It is likely that undiscovered species are being lost all the time, before scientists have even named them, because of biodiversity loss. So it is appropriate to name one of the newest discoveries after someone who has worked so hard to champion the natural world and protect vulnerable species,” says a curator at the 146-year-old Museum.