Fly with Golden Booty Resembles Beyonce's Prominent Butt

Bryan Lessard is a 24-year-old researcher at Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization who is working on his PhD studying the who, what and where of horse flies, or scientifically speaking, the taxonomy, systematics and biogeography of the Tabanidae.      While studying un-named species that had been sitting in a fly collection of CSIRO, Lessard's interest was piqued by one particular fly, one with dense golden hairs at the fly's rear end.      It was then that Lessard was reminded of another prominent rear, that of pop star Beyoncé, a singer who boasts about it in a song entitled Bootylicious.     So while the world is full of talented singer/performers just as the world is full of important pollinating horse flies, it is those with special assets that get a distinction.  It was this Similarity that Lessard Recognized and ran with, naming the insect Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae.  Never mind that this fly was first captured in 1981 - the same year the former Destiny's Child singer was born!      Lessard says the fly's spectacular gold color makes it the "...all-time diva of flies.  It was the unique dense golden hairs on the fly's abdomen that led me to name this fly in honor of the performer Beyonce as well as giving me the chance to demonstrate the fun side of taxonomy - the naming of species."      The rare Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae horse fly was collected in 1981 from the Atherton Tablelands.  "Most Australian Scaptia species have been described. However, these five new species of a sub-group [Plinthina] have been housed in Australian collections since the group was last studied in the 1960s," Mr Lessard said.   It's unknown if the rare species is a bloodsucker like many female horse flies.  The description of the fly was earlier published in the Australian Journal of Entomology, but the results were announced two weeks ago. "It's extremely important to name all the undescribed species so we can measure our human impact on the environment and hopefully protect it for future generations to enjoy.  Here is a video of Lessard talking about the Resemblance he has Extracted:  Title: Fly with Golden Booty Resembles Beyoncé's Prominent Butt   Resemblance: Beyoncé Giselle Knowles' Prominent Rear End  Extractionist: Bryan Lessard  Matrix: Horse Fly's Rear Abdomen  Location: Atherton tablelands in Queensland, Australia  Date: 13 Jan 2012  Links:  http://www.abc.net.au/rural/qld/content/2012/01/s3407573.htm http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/weird/fly-named-after-singer-beyonce-because-of-butt/story-e6frep26-1226243518546

If It Walks & Talks Like a Duck, Then It Is a Potato!

     What a great way to start the year in the world of Resemblances as a Replica raises its head (and it's not a Jesus nor a Mary) in Cardiff, Wales.   This Resemblance was given life by Extractionist Emily Gaffney when she decided not to cook and eat a potato she found to resemble a duck!  It wasn't easy for Gaffney to decide on the exact Resemblance as she fluttered between puffin and duck.  Once she decided it wasn't long before he had a name - Bill.
     Gaffney Recognizes three points of reference on Bill - wings, a breast, and beak and I might add there is an eye, tucked-neck, and tail.  If one argues that his missing webbed feet are tucked into his body, he is a complete Replica!  It will be difficult to top this non man-made Replica this year.
     Pareidolia is a word often used when reporting on such stories.  The word was first used by Goldstein in 1994 despite other vocabulary words existing such as apophenia synchronicity & simulacra and is limited in scope when discussing Resemblances.

 Title: If It Walks Like a Duck and Talks Like a Duck, then it's a Potato!
 Resemblance: Duck
 Extractionist: Emily Gaffney
 Matrix: Potato (Type I - not man-made)
 Location: Cathays Cardiff, Wales
 Date: 5 Jan 2012
 Links: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2082745/Student-finds-duck-shaped-potato-local-shop-names-Bill.html

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/cardiffonline/cardiff-news/2012/01/06/student-finds-vegetable-shaped-like-a-duck-91466-30068315/