NINE CREATURES NAMED FOR CELEBRITIES

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Some of history's most important figures have been rewarded with mountains, cities, even states that bear their names. Stephen Colbert got a spider. The host of The Colbert Report on Comedy Central recently had a California trapdoor spider, found last year, named after him: Aptostichus stephencolberti. He's not alone. Rocker Neil Young has a spider namesake too. In fact, it turns out that plenty of celebs have lent their name to a creature. Here are nine favorites. - Ryan E. Smith

1. Agathidium bushi. A slime-mold beetle honoring President George W. Bush. Other slime-mold beetles were named for Vice President Dick Cheney and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

2. Avalanchurus lennoni. John Lennon doesn't have a beetle named for him as you might expect. Instead, the famous Beatle has prehistoric trilobites, as does Ringo Starr.

3. Sylvilagus palustris hefneri. An endangered marsh rabbit named for Hugh Hefner, founder of Playboy magazine with its famous bunny logo.

4. Cryptocercus garciai. A cockroach named for Grateful Dead icon, Jerry Garcia.

5. Agra katewinsletae. Titanic actress Kate Winslet had this beetle named for her.

6. Dendropsophus stingi. The rock star Sting, who has worked to preserve rainforests, gave his moniker to this Colombian tree frog.

7. Bufonaria borisbeckeri. This sea snail shares a name with German tennis great Boris Becker.

8. Eristalis gatesi. This flower fly found in Costa Rica is named for Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Another carries the name of co-founder Paul Allen.

9. Avahi cleesei. Comedian John Cleese had this species of lemur named after him in tribute to his promotion of the plight of the primate in the film Fierce Creatures and a documentary.