New genus of treehopper named after Selena Quintanilla, the queen of Tejano music

Date: March 31, 2016

Source: Entomological Society of America

Researchers have discovered a new treehopper genus that is found in Texas and northern Mexico, which they have named Selenacentrus after the singer Selena Quintanilla, who was known as the 'Queen of Tejano Music'.

Insects known as treehoppers vary wildly in form, sporting many different shapes and colors.

Recently, Dr. Brendan O. Morris and Dr. Christopher H. Dietrich, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, discovered a new treehopper genus (and its single species) that is found in Texas and northern Mexico, which they describe in an article in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America.

They named the new genus Selenacentrus after the singer Selena Quintanilla, who was known as the "Queen of Tejano Music." The new species is called wallacei in honor of Matthew S. Wallace, a biology professor from East Stroudsburg University.

The scientists discovered Selenacentrus wallacei after examining 45 specimens of mislabeled treehoppers that were borrowed from collections at the Illinois Natural History Survey, the United States National Museum of Natural History, the American Museum of Natural History, Texas A&M University, and the University of Missouri.

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