A Chinese scientist went viral for an original inspiration that drove him. He named spider species after pop songs. Specifically, he defined the names based on songs by Jay Chou, the popular “Mandopop” artist, a Chinese subgenre.
While the article with the denominations was published in December, it went viral in the first days of 2025 due to this particularity.
The scientist who named spider species after pop songs
He named new spider species.[/caption>
Mi Xiaoqi, a professor at Tongren University in the province of Guizhou, located in southwest China, listed the recently discovered arachnids. He did so in an article published in a local magazine about zoological research.
The article was published in December but went viral in the early hours of 2025 after being discovered on the Chinese social network Weibo. It has already accumulated over 26 million views.
Weibo users dubbed the 44-year-old scientist Mi Xiaoqi as the “Chief Fan” of the genre.
One of the spider species, of the Cyclosa genus, measuring 3.5 millimeters in length, was named “Starry Mood spider“, after a successful love song from Chou’s debut album “Jay“, released in 2000.
Other arachnids were also named after his popular songs, including the “Rainbow Spider“, the “Dragon Fist Spider“, and the “Excuse Spider“.
The artist who inspired the scientist
The famous Taiwanese singer Jay Chou.
Jay Chou, born in Taiwan and known for his dramatic ballads and romantic pop rhythms, is one of the most popular Mandarin artists who has sold over 30 million records.
He has been famous in mainland China and other Asian countries for over two decades.
The scientist Mi, who published the article alongside researchers Wang Cheng and Li Shuqiang, has been a fan of Jay Chou since his university days, as reported by the news agency Xinhua.
“Naming these spiders after Jay Chou’s songs will bring scientific research closer to the public,” Mi told the local agency. “I hope people pay more attention to scientific discoveries and support ecological protection,” he added.
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