She's sold millions, has played for millions and now Jennifer Lopez has another honor to her credit: having a water mite named after her.
The New York Daily News reports that biologist Vladimir Pesic and his team of fellow scientists decided to name a new water mite Litarachna lopezae. The species was discovered on a coral reef located in Mona Passage, a body of water between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
"The reason behind the unusual choice of name for the new species is...simple," Pesic, who works at the University of Montenegro told the publication last week via email. "J. Lo's songs and videos kept the team in a continuous good mood when writing the manuscript and watching World Cup Soccer 2014." Pesic also said the name was also in thanks for Lopez having hit songs such as "All I Have," "I Luh Ya Papi" and "Ain't It Funny."
The mites, found approximately 70 meters deep, were amassed during various trips from 2010 to 2012 by the Caribbean Coral Reef Institute and the University of Puerto Rico. Sci-News.com -- which also has a photo of the species -- reports the species represents Pontarachnidae which is a "widely distributed but still unstudied group of marine animals." The life cycle of the species is also unknown.
Lopez isn't the first to have a species named in her honor. Bob Marley, Neil Young, Lou Reed, Mick Jagger and Bono have all had scientists name various creatures after them. (The Bono one, the Aptostichus bonoi, is a spider found in Joshua Tree national park, of course.)
As for Lopez, the singer released her latest studio album "A.K.A." last month.
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