JONESBORO, Arkansas – A tiny coral reef crustacean found only in Caribbean waters – a bloodsucking parasite described as “truly a natural wonder” – has been named after Jamaican reggae icon Bob Marley, who died 31 years ago.
Marley has joined US President Barack Obama, American pop star Beyoncé, British rock legend Mick Jagger and American singer Elvis Presley in having a biological species named in their honour.
Marine biologist Paul Sikkel, an assistant professor of marine ecology and a field marine biologist at Arkansas State University, said on Wednesday that he named a small parasitic crustacean in the family of gnathiidae, a blood feeder that infests fish in Caribbean coral reefs, “Gnathia marleyi”.
“I named this species, which is truly a natural wonder, after Marley, because of my respect and admiration for Marley’s music,” he said in a statement. (CMC)
