How did I forget warrior wasps https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=250875
We need more!
And they will come!
Slowly, perhaps.
The genus Athyma are commonly referred to as “sergeants”.
Various genera such as Limenitis and Vanessa are called “admirals”.
Pandita sinope is also known as the “colonel”.
I have read soldier beetles, Cantharidae, are called that because they are often contrasting red and dark colours, like in old fashioned military unforms.
There is also a story that Red Admiral butterflies were originally Red Admirables and it got shortened, but I have also read that that isn’t true. I guess it wouldn’t be hard to prove if it is correct - it must have appeared in early natural history books.
Genus Washingtonia https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/50185-Washingtonia
is named after George Washington. A few of species are named after Napoleon Bonaparte but most of those were already mentioned. Quite a few were named after other U.S. presidents but most of them did not have military experience. Theodore Roosevelt has seven species named after him but to save time I will list the most popular.
Cervus canadensis roosevelti https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/566550-Cervus-canadensis-roosevelti
On the fiction side of military. Not sure if it counts though.
Vader’s Begonia, named after Darth Vader https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1010714-Begonia-darthvaderiana
Darth Maul Bug, the name is very fitting and self explanatory. https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/450766-Spilostethus-hospes
I could list more but I have Thanksgiving to celebrate.
One of the things I am thankful for is Inaturalist!
Juncus militarus , the Bayonet Rush
https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/juncus/militaris/
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/164274-Juncus-militaris
There’s also a tarantula species that’s often called the Darth Maul Tarantula.
The Hessian fly in North America has a similar etymology, dating to the Revolutionary War.
There are butterflies known as Sailors – not all sailors are military, of course, but those in the Navy are.
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