''Poecilognathus relativitae'', originally known as ''Phthiria relativitae'', is a species of

fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

of the family

Bombyliidae The Bombyliidae are a family of flies, commonly known as bee flies. Adults generally feed on nectar and pollen, some being important pollinators. Larvae are mostly parasitoids of other insects. Overview The Bombyliidae are a large family of fl ...

, subfamily

Phthiriinae Phthiriinae is a subfamily of bee flies in the family Bombyliidae. There are about 11 genera and more than 120 described species in Phthiriinae. Genera These 11 genera belong to the subfamily Phthiriinae: * '' Acreophthiria'' Evenhuis, 1986 * ' ...

, that is found in the American Southwest. It was discovered by

Neal Evenhuis Neal Luit Evenhuis (born Kornelus Luit Evenhuis on 16 April 1952;) is an American entomologist. He works at the Bishop Museum in Hawaii. Evenhuis has described over 500 species of insects since 1976, and is known both for his research and peculia ...

, who named it as a pun on "

theory of relativity The theory of relativity usually encompasses two interrelated theories by Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity, proposed and published in 1905 and 1915, respectively. Special relativity applies to all physical phenomena in ...

". Subsequent analysis revealed that the insect is not of the genus '' Phthiria'', and it was renamed.Stupid Science Word of the Month
at ''

Discover Discover may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Discover'' (album), a Cactus Jack album * ''Discover'' (magazine), an American science magazine Businesses and brands * DISCover, the ''Digital Interactive Systems Corporation'' * Di ...

''; August 2007 issue; published online July 26, 2007; retrieved July 22, 2013

References

Bombyliidae Diptera of North America Insects described in 1985 {{Bombyliidae-stub