- Dejana Vukadinovic and Petra Zivic
- BBC Serbian
Photo credit, Nikola Vesović
A new species of beetle has been discovered in Serbia and named after tennis star Novak Djokovic.
“Perseverance and the ability to keep fighting in difficult times are two traits of equal importance in sport and for surviving in the wild,” wrote biologist and researcher Nikola Vesovic, explaining why he chose to name the insect after one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
“Djokovic endured various hardships, just like those insects that survive by living in darkness,” Vesovic told BBC Serbia.
Duvalius djokovici are tiny light orange beetles that lack eyes, but they compensate for their lack of vision with a strong sense of smell.
They live in confined spaces on Povlen Mountain in western Serbia and were first noticed two years ago by biologists from the University of Belgrade.
“They are special because they live in deep hollows and caves…and you can only find them here in Serbia,” Vesovic said.
Vesovic and his team examined the new species and learned that the insects are able to withstand harsh conditions through their perseverance.
“Just like Djokovic’s ability and spirit, which kept him at the top of world tennis,” Vesovic said.
Since the very beginning of his career, the Serbian player has spoken openly about the hardships he had to endure as a young player during the NATO bombing of his country in 1999.
The biologist also said that Djokovic was “like a brother to him” as he grew up watching his matches on TV.
Many Serbs regard Djokovic as a national hero, even after the controversy surrounding his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Photo credit, Getty Images
Many in Serbia consider Djokovic a national hero
What do we know about Duvalius djokovici?
The new species belongs to the Trechini, a large group of around 2,400 species of ground beetles.
As they live in dark places, without light, they have no eyes, but they compensate for the lack of vision with other senses which are well developed.
Their color is different from that of other beetles of the same family (which are usually black) – Duvalis djokovici are weakly pigmented.
A few years ago, Dr. Vesovic collected the first male beetles, but to confirm the existence of a new species, he also needed to find a female.
“Fortunately, we found a female and after examination we concluded that it is indeed something different and scientifically new,” Vesovic said.
He adds that ordinary people would not be able to tell the difference between Duvalis djokovici and other insects of the same family.
“The differences are almost imperceptible, but scientists can see them,” says Vesovic.
But he also points out that the new species are not present in large numbers.
“I would like their habitat to be protected,” adds Mr. Vesovic.
Another species named after Djokovic
Photo credit, Jozef Grego and Vladimir Pesic
A rare species of freshwater snail discovered in Montenegro in 2021 has also been named after Djokovic.
Scientists in Montenegro, another Balkan country that borders Serbia, recently named a new species of snail after Djokovic as well.
Travunijana djokovici, a rare species of freshwater snail, was discovered in Montenegro in 2021.
But Djokovic is not the only celebrity to have given his name to new animal species.
Anomphalus jaggerius snails were named after Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, while the band’s guitarist Keith Richards inspired the name of Perirehaedulus richardsi, a sea creature that lived 250 million years ago .
The Nelloptodes Gretae, a species of bee, was named in honor of Greta Thunberg.
As for former US President Barak Obama, he named 14 species after him, from a spider in California to a fish in Hawaii.