Hitler Beetle - Anophthalmus hitleri Scheibel, 1937

This blind cave beetle, exclusive to a system of five Slovenian caverns near the town of Celje, was named after Adolf Hitler by a Slovenian entomologist who admired him. Though many people would find it somewhat questionable that an eyeless cave beetle had taken their namesake, Hitler was delighted for the honor of having an entire species named after him, and took the time to actually hand-write Oscar Scheibel a thank-you note expressing his gratitude.

Seven decades later, the beetle is paying the price for its fascist namesake. Highly sought after (to the tune of over a thousand pounds, for one half-centimeter-long, bland-colored bug), the insect is one of the must-haves for a complete “Hitler memorabilia” collection. Though strict laws are in place to protect the beetle, Slovenia (and the earlier Yugoslavia) isn’t particularly known for its enforcement of insect poaching laws, and the few caverns in the Balkans where it lives are still frequented by tourists, some being innocent visitors to the region, some being not-so-innocent collectors of critically endangered beetles.

Though the Slovenian entomology community insists that completely closing and blocking off the caverns is the only way to possibly save this beetle, the fact remains that to do so would likely dry up the majority of the meager tourism dollars. With no live populations with breeding success outside the cavern system, it looks like this unassuming little beetle (who would have doubtless rarely been noticed if not for the name) is on its way out.

Image from NHM Department of Entomology Photostream

Information from journalist Rose George