The mischievous Teemo has made his way from the virtual world of League of Legends into our real natural world. Scientists have recently named a newly discovered crab species after this little Yordle scout
Marine biologists found a new crab species in the coral reefs of the South China Sea and decided to name it after Teemo, one of League of Legends’ most infamous champions. The crab, now officially called Gothus teemo, was given this name due to its appearance. This crab from the Xanthidae family is described as small with a “densely covered short setae” and has a brown-striped coloration.
The discovery was published in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution. It was made during an expedition to the coral reefs of the South China Sea by marine biologists Zi-Ming Yuan, Wei Jiang, and Zhong-Li Sha.
During scuba diving expeditions, they carefully photographed and collected a few specimens of the crab, which are now housed at the Marine Biological Museum in the city of Qingdao.
Teemo is a fluffy, brown, and white-colored champion in League of Legends, known for his small size. His cute appearance has made him popular, resulting in various plushies and figurines. However, in the game, he is often disliked due to his frustrating spells that poison other players.
The Gothus teemo crab has a small, fluffy appearance similar to the Swift Scout. Its key features include a “dense coat of short setae” and brown-striped coloration, which reminded scientists of Teemo’s furry coat and his camouflage abilities.
This is the first time an animal has been named after a League of Legends character, though it’s not the first instance of a video game inspiring a scientific name. Gothus teemo joins a list of species named after characters from popular media like video games, including names from The Legend of Zelda, Street Fighter, and even Pokémon.
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