Another question I cannot answer. Can you? (creatures whose common names are military)

How did I forget warrior wasps https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=250875

We need more! :grinning:

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And they will come!

Slowly, perhaps.

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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!

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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.

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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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