Meet Bazinga! New species of tropical bee named after Big Bang Theory character's TV catchphrase

Brazilian biologist Andre Nemesio named the new species of bee after 'nerdy' character Sheldon Cooper's favorite word



Big Bang Theory physicist Sheldon Cooper's favorite buzzword has a new claim to fame. The geeky TV character has had a species of bee named after his favorite catch phrase - Bazinga!

On the TV show Cooper, who counts Stephen Hawking as his online friend, uses the word to signal that he's just pulled a practical joke on somebody else.

Brazilian biologist Andre Nemesio said he named the species of Brazilian orchid bee Euglossa bazinga in honor of 'the clever, funny, nerd character Sheldon Cooper,' because the bee had tricked scientists for some time with its similarity to other species.

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Bazinga! Dr Sheldon Cooper (played by actor Jim Parsons) has had a species of bee named after his Big Bang Theory catchphrase

Buzz word: A species of Brazilian orchid bee has been named Euglossa bazinga after the nerdy TV scientist character

Nemesio published his paper last month in Zootaxa, a journal for worldwide zoological taxonomists. He works at the Universidade Federal de Uberlândia in Brazil.

Steven Molaro, one of the executive producers of The Big Bang Theory said on Wednesday that the CBS comedy is 'always extremely flattered when the science community embraces our show'.

He said: 'Sheldon would be honored to know that Euglossa bazinga was inspired by him. In fact, after ''Mothra'' and griffins, bees are his third-favorite flying creatures.'

The Big Bang Theory is a comedy about a group of brilliant but socially awkward scientists.



It is one of the most popular comedies on U.S. television, attracting about 18 million viewers an episode.

Busy bee: Brazilian biologist Andre Nemesio named his discovery in honor of the 'clever, funny, nerd' Sheldon

Geek patrol: The cast of hit TV show Big Bang Theory which attracts 18 million viewers an episode

Actor Jim Parsons has won two Emmys for his lead performance as Cooper.

According to the Smithsonian , Sheldon Cooper has also an asteroid named after him (246247 Sheldoncooper).

BUZZ WORDS: FAMOUS NAMES WHO MADE A MARK ON SCIENCE

It's not just the quirky Sheldon Cooper who has been honored in the real world of science.

In 2011, a mushroom hunter Dennis E. Desjardin named a species he found in the Borneo rainforest as Spongiforma squarepantsii - after the brightly-colored cartoon character. A field marine biologist at Arkansas State University Paul Sikkel named a small underwater parasite Gnathia marleyi after his idol, reggae musician Bob Marley.

Other famous people with animal kingdom alter-egos include Beyonce's horse fly (Scaptia beyonceae) and Hugh Hefner's rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri). The former Republican hierarchy - George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld - all had beetles named in their honor in 2005.



The Orchid Bee, also known as the gold bee, is a brightly-colored tropical bee of which there are more than 175 varieties.



The are common in the western hemisphere throughout south and central America from Mexico to Argentina.

The vividly-colored creatures, which have green, blue, purple, gold and red hues, collect their nectar and pollen from orchids.



They reach around one-inch in length but some have tongues which are twice the length of their body to drink nectar from tropical flowers.



The little bees are known to fly around 30 miles in search of flowers which grow far apart and are particularly drawn to the fragrant oils of orchids.

Orchid bees bury their nests, lined with resin, into cavities in wood, termite nests and the roofs of houses.



Several individuals often live together across several generations.



The Orchid bee is part of the larger group of Apidae which includes honey bees and bumble bees.



Up to 24,000 new animal species are identified every year - with the scientists who discover them given the great honor of picking a name.



Rare: The new species of Orchid Bee (left) is indigenous to south and central America. Right, it is compare with another variety of E. ignita