The journal "Zoological Research: Diversity and Conservation," managed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, published a paper on December last year about spider classification research at the Xishuangbanna Botanical Garden. It includes six new genera and 16 new species of the family Araneidae, all named after songs by Jay Chou. Examples include: Xing Qing Ai Spider, An Jing Ai Spider, Jie Kou Song Garden Spider, Dao Xiang Zhu Garden Spider, and even "Dao Dai", a song Jay Chou wrote for Jolin Tsai, was used.
Paper Author Explains the Choice of Jay Chou Songs
The paper shows the first author is Professor Mi Xiaoqi from Tongren University. This research, conducted by Li Shuqiang's team at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, began in 2006, and has published 78 taxonomic papers in international journals.
According to the Tongren University website, the 44-year-old Mi Xiaoqi is the Dean of the College of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering and Planning. He has published over 20 papers and discovered 2 new genera and nearly 100 new species of spiders.
Mi Xiaoqi told Chinese media reporters that species naming requires uniqueness within a taxon, and naming 16 new spider species is quite time-consuming, so using song titles is simple and time-saving. Mi Xiaoqi said he enjoys listening to Jay Chou's songs in daily life for entertainment and relaxation.
This isn't the first time Jay Chou has been used for naming in the scientific community. In 2020, Sun Zhi New, a master's student at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, named a unique trilobite he discovered from 500 million years ago "Fanta C Bug."
16 new spiders named after Jay Chou songs include: An Jing Ai Spider, Dao Dai Ai Spider, Long Quan Ai Spider, Xing Qing Ai Spider, Hua Hai Guiqi Spider, Piao Yi New Garden Spider, Wu Ding New Garden Spider, Qing Tian Peng Garden Spider, Wai Po Zhui Tou Spider, Jie Kou Song Garden Spider, Tui Hou Song Garden Spider, Ge Qian Tang Garden Spider, Ye Qu Wang Garden Spider, An Hao Yin Garden Spider, Cai Hong Yin Garden Spider, Dao Xiang Zhu Garden Spider.