His name has been used to classify a beautiful dragonfly, an extinct marsupial lion, a ghost shrimp from Madagascar and a carnivorous pitcher plant.

Now a Tasmanian snail has the honour of being named after the world's most famous naturalist, David Attenborough.

To mark the beginning of its 190th anniversary year, the Australian Museum has named Attenborough as a lifetime patron - and a little Tasmanian snail shall for evermore be known as Attenborougharion rubicundus.

Attenborough was at the museum on Wednesday for a lunch in his honour.