The Kakaia gaga is a new species of treehoppers: "If there's going to be a Lady Gaga bug, it's going to be a treehopper, because they've got these crazy horns; they have this wacky fashion sense about them," said Brendan Morris, the entomology student who first described and named the insect in March 2020. "They're unlike anything you've ever seen before."

The colors of a shrimp-like crustacean found in 2015 are exactly like Elton John's shoes in the picture above. "I have listened to his music in my lab during my entire scientific career," said James Thomas, the scientist who named the species. When he first saw the unusual crustacean, he was immediately reminded of the star's iconic style, which led him to name it Leucothoe eltoni.

Another crustacean, discovered in February 2020: The Macrostylis metallicola is a deep-sea creature living among metallic nodules. Rock legends Metallica were thrilled to have a worm named after them: "The Thing That Should Not Be has a few things in common with us. The worm-like creature dwells in complete darkness, has no eyes, and is colorless. Talk about Blackened!" they wrote on Instagram.

The Aptostichus bonoi, also known as Bono's Joshua Tree trapdoor spider, was found in the famous national park in California and first described in 2012. The nocturnal arthropod was named after the singer of U2, whose 1987 hit album, "The Joshua Tree," turned the Irish band into superstars. Angelina Jolie also has as trapdoor spider named after her.

The female of the wasp species Aleiodes shakirae injects its eggs into a particular type of caterpillar, where it hatches. This paralyzes the host caterpillar, leading it "to bend and twist its abdomen in various ways," wrote the scientists who first described the new species in 2014, adding that since "Shakira is also famous for her belly-dancing, the name seems particularly appropriate."

The tarantula Aphonopelma johnnycashi was found in 2015 near Folsom Prison in California, a penitentiary made famous by Johnny Cash with his signature song, "Folsom Prison Blues." The males of this species are typically black, and one of the nicknames of the country singer who died in 2003 was "The Man in Black."

The researcher who first described a rare Australian horse fly species in 2011 was inspired by its spectacular golden behind — making it a "bootylicious" little bug, just like the title of a hit song by Destiny's Child, which remained a descriptive term for its lead singer, Beyoncé. The pop diva renowned for her golden outfits and curves therefore has a namesake insect, the Scaptia beyonceae.

David Bowie's backing band in the early 1970s was the Spiders from Mars, and in 2008 the influential rock star had a huntsman spider named after him: Heteropoda davidbowie. German arachnologist Peter Jäger has described more than 300 new species; he named a few other Heteropoda species after music stars, including German artists Nina Hagen and Udo Lindenberg.

Synalpheus pinkfloydi is a shrimp species that was discovered off the coast of Panama in 2017. It has a bright pink claw that can produce sounds strong enough to stun its predators or even kill a small fish. The psychedelic English rock band formed in 1965 was also into sonic creations that sent their listeners into a daze.

A new flatworm identified in 2018 was named Baicalellia daftpunka in tribute to the French electronic music duo known for wearing helmets during their performances. Similarly, the newly-discovered species has a helmet-shaped structure — on the end of its penis.

The Kakaia gaga is a new species of treehoppers: "If there's going to be a Lady Gaga bug, it's going to be a treehopper, because they've got these crazy horns; they have this wacky fashion sense about them," said Brendan Morris, the entomology student who first described and named the insect in March 2020. "They're unlike anything you've ever seen before."

The colors of a shrimp-like crustacean found in 2015 are exactly like Elton John's shoes in the picture above. "I have listened to his music in my lab during my entire scientific career," said James Thomas, the scientist who named the species. When he first saw the unusual crustacean, he was immediately reminded of the star's iconic style, which led him to name it Leucothoe eltoni.

Another crustacean, discovered in February 2020: The Macrostylis metallicola is a deep-sea creature living among metallic nodules. Rock legends Metallica were thrilled to have a worm named after them: "The Thing That Should Not Be has a few things in common with us. The worm-like creature dwells in complete darkness, has no eyes, and is colorless. Talk about Blackened!" they wrote on Instagram.

The Aptostichus bonoi, also known as Bono's Joshua Tree trapdoor spider, was found in the famous national park in California and first described in 2012. The nocturnal arthropod was named after the singer of U2, whose 1987 hit album, "The Joshua Tree," turned the Irish band into superstars. Angelina Jolie also has as trapdoor spider named after her.

The female of the wasp species Aleiodes shakirae injects its eggs into a particular type of caterpillar, where it hatches. This paralyzes the host caterpillar, leading it "to bend and twist its abdomen in various ways," wrote the scientists who first described the new species in 2014, adding that since "Shakira is also famous for her belly-dancing, the name seems particularly appropriate."

The tarantula Aphonopelma johnnycashi was found in 2015 near Folsom Prison in California, a penitentiary made famous by Johnny Cash with his signature song, "Folsom Prison Blues." The males of this species are typically black, and one of the nicknames of the country singer who died in 2003 was "The Man in Black."

The researcher who first described a rare Australian horse fly species in 2011 was inspired by its spectacular golden behind — making it a "bootylicious" little bug, just like the title of a hit song by Destiny's Child, which remained a descriptive term for its lead singer, Beyoncé. The pop diva renowned for her golden outfits and curves therefore has a namesake insect, the Scaptia beyonceae.

David Bowie's backing band in the early 1970s was the Spiders from Mars, and in 2008 the influential rock star had a huntsman spider named after him: Heteropoda davidbowie. German arachnologist Peter Jäger has described more than 300 new species; he named a few other Heteropoda species after music stars, including German artists Nina Hagen and Udo Lindenberg.

Synalpheus pinkfloydi is a shrimp species that was discovered off the coast of Panama in 2017. It has a bright pink claw that can produce sounds strong enough to stun its predators or even kill a small fish. The psychedelic English rock band formed in 1965 was also into sonic creations that sent their listeners into a daze.

A new flatworm identified in 2018 was named Baicalellia daftpunka in tribute to the French electronic music duo known for wearing helmets during their performances. Similarly, the newly-discovered species has a helmet-shaped structure — on the end of its penis.