Beetle's one of Nazi memorabilia

A tiny, blind, brown beetle that hides in caves in Slovenia is changing hands for as much as 1,000 euros (1,300 dollars) because it is named after Adolf Hitler, a Munich insect collector said.

The creatures were given the scientific name Anophtalmus hitleri in honor of the Nazi dictator when they were discovered in the 1930s. Collecting them has become a fad among neo-Nazis in recent years.

"There has been a rush for them. Collectors are scouring the caves," said Martin Baehr, the entomologist at the State Zoological Museum in Munich. "Almost all of our specimens at the museum have been stolen."

The bug was named by a German, Oscar Scheibel, the first to describe it scientifically. Some accounts say he received a letter of thanks from Hitler for the "honor". Species names, which are adapted to Latin form, can be descriptive or derived from proper names.

Not to loose out, U.S also copied the same idea. Agathidium bushi, Agathidium cheneyi, and Agathidium rumsfeldi are species of round fungus beetles named after George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld, respectively.

Back to top