By Tia Ghose, Senior Writer | June
3, 2016 08:50am ET
A new praying mantis has been
identified, and like Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, it has a
fondness for prominent neckwear.
The new leaf-dwelling species was
discovered in the wilds of Madagascar and named Ilomantis ginsburgae, after Supreme
Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I. ginsburgae is the first species to be defined and
classified based on its female genitalia. Historically, biologists relied on
male genitalia to classify and identify species.
"This species description of Ilomantis ginsburgae is novel since
it relied heavily on the features of the female genitalia," lead author
Sydney Brannoch, a Case Western Reserve University doctoral candidate, said in
a statement. "As a feminist biologist, I often questioned why female
specimens weren't used to diagnose most species. This research establishes the
validity of using female specimens in the classification of praying
mantises."
The creature in question was
first discovered in Madagascar in 1967, but the specimen has been housed at the
French National Museum of Natural History in Paris ever since. Only recently
was it closely studied and identified. Like other praying
mantises,I. ginsburgae has a green flattened body, huge bug eyes and
veiny wings that resemble leaves. Like other mantises, the newly designated
species has prominent neck plates that somewhat resemble the frilly collars,
called jabots, that Justice Ginsburg is so fond of wearing.
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