Phialella zappai explained

Phialella zappai is a species of cnidarian in the family Phialellidae. It was named for musician Frank Zappa[1] by Ferdinando "Nando" Boero, a jellyfish expert from Genova, Italy who wrote to Zappa hoping to meet the musician whom he admired. Zappa replied saying "there is nothing I would like better than having a jellyfish with my name", leading to a meeting and eventually a friendly acquaintance between the biologist and the musician.[2]

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://www.curioustaxonomy.net/etym/people.html Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20141020204519/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andymurkin/Resources/MusicRes/ZapRes/jellyfish.html "Here's your jelly, Frank!"