Anophthalmus hitleri beetle is now endangered beetle due to collectors of Nazi memorabilia. Found only in five caves in Slovernia, the tiny brown, eyeless beetle was discovered in 1933 by Oscar Scheibel, a German amateur entomologist and ardent Hitler fan. Its species’ name as dedicated to Adolf Hitler, who had recently become Chancellor of Germany. The genus name means ‘eyeless’, so the full name translates as “the eyeless one of Hitler”. The beetles can sell for 1000 each on the black market.
The species exhibits no notable characteristics, such as extravagant colors or unusual antennae, and is of interest to collectors of Hitler memorabilia and beetle collectors purely as a result of its name. This is putting the beetle in danger of extinction.
After World War II, renaming the beetle was rejected by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. Since the beetle’s name has been registered, it is impossible to now change the species name, unless it has violated its rule when it was first registered into the system.
Picture Credit : Google
