Discovery
Cheng-Bin Wang, a Prague-based Chinese national, discovered the new beetle species on Hainan, a semi-tropical island off China’s southern coast in the contentious South China Sea. The ''Rhyzodiastes'' (''Temoana'') ''xii'', which can be loosely translated as 'Xi’s Rhyzodiastes', lives in decaying logs in the rainforests of the Jianfeng mountain range. Wang collected three samples, including one male found in rotten wood and another male pulled from cow dung. It is an example of aNaming
In an article published in the peer-reviewed taxonomy journal '' Zootaxa'', Wang wrote that “…this specific epithet is dedicated to Dr. Xi Jinping, the President of China, for his leadership making our motherland stronger and stronger.” The entomologist also says that “The ''Rhyzodiastes'' (''Temoana'') is very rare – you might not encounter a single one even after 10 field collection sessions – and it also eats rotten wood for food… so it’s a metaphor for Xi Jinping, a rare person you only encounter once a century, and specifically his controls on corruption ating rot which will allow Chinese corruption to gradually disappear”. Wang's description of the beetle included minute detail, including the 'lustrous' sheen of its body and 'genital segment… with handle moderately long and narrowly rounded at the tip'. He says that Xi’s name has been presented respectfully, adding the Latin “i", to show a male possessive, resulting in "Xii".Censorship by Chinese authorities
Censors in China have clamped down on any online references to the new beetle species. Wang had not only named the beetle for paramount leader Xi, but also added the word “wolf” in Chinese: 习氏狼条脊甲 (literally, “Xi's wolf-stripe-spined beetle”). The beetle's name has been banned from China's social media platformMedia coverage
Some in the media were sceptical about the reports, and one Chinese language site initially filed the story under its 'joke' section. In Taiwan, columnist Daniel J. Bauer also initially dismissed the reports as a hoax. However, writing in '' The China Post'', he went on to observe that the Communist Party could control many things, 'but not the naming of a new beetle', and that 'when a political system censors even the names of beetles, it reveals how weak it can sometimes be.' The '' Hong Kong Free Press'' included satirical images of the beetle, and '' The Times'' suggested that Xi Jinping lacked a sense of humour. While Zhang Lifan, a Chinese writer and historian, responded to the beetle controversy with a poem in the style of Franz Kafka. Responding to the censorship, entomologist Cheng-Bin Wang said his gesture had been 'deliberately vilified'. He was mortified that the naming had been taken as an insult, and stated that it had been intended as a 'tremendous honour'. Wang believes it is the first species to be named after a Chinese leader, saying: “As long as science exists, the name will forever exist. It’s a very rare species of beetle, and I would certainly have appreciated it if someone had named it after me”.See also
* List of organisms named after famous people (born 1950–present)References
{{Taxonbar , from = Q25833396 Rhyzodiastes Beetles described in 2016 Endemic fauna of Hainan Insects of China Xi Jinping