There’s an official fungus species named after Spongebob… and it was found in Malaysia

[Update (28/11/2018): We’ve just received news that the founder of Spongebob Squarepants, Stephen Hillenburg, passed away on the 26th of November 2018 after a year of battling ALS. We thank him for bringing joy to children and adults around the world. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.]

Malaysia is known for having great biodiversity with a bunch of animals and plants that are uniquely Malaysian. So we found out that there is a particular type of fungus with a name that resembles something that lives in a pineapple under the sea…

For those who were too old to get the reference, it’s Spongebob Squarepants. And the fungus is called… Spongiforma squarepantsii! Not kidding.. Only difference is it “lives in the rainforest under a tree“.

Is this legit?! Why the name so funny one?

The squarepantsii species name was made official in 2011 in the journal Mycologia by Desjardin, Peay and Bruns after they collected specimens of it in Bukit Lambir National Park in Miri, Sarawak in 2010. It belongs to the genus spongiforma, which was a newly described genus first found in dipterocarp forests in Thailand in 2009 (the species found here is called thailandica btw). So far, only thailandica and squarepantsii have been discovered from this genus. (To understand this genus and species naming thing, click here.)

The genus name spongiforma refers to its sponge-like body, which can spring back to its original shape when water is squeezed out of it like, well, a sponge obviously, for adaptation and survival purposes.

Then the squarepantsii part? It’s becos it looks like Spongebob, so they Latinised the Squarepants part lor. The spore-bearing surface, when viewed using something called a scanning electron microscope, looks like the hollow holes on Spongebob’s face.

But can ah like that? Well, initially, the editors of Mycologia rejected the species name cos it’s “too frivolous” but in the end, accepted lah, so the name is found in the journal article they wrote.

Actually, there are even WEIRDER species names too…

Spongiform squarepantsii was among the WEIRDEST species names listed by the Australian Geographic, who said that most species names are derived from locations or attributes. But nowadays, scientists are running out of ideas, so they started having fun with it lah. But that doesn’t mean scientists can name it however they please…

“Every proposed name needs to conform to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN).” – Dr. Pat Hutchings of the Australian Museum told the Australian Geographic.

ICZN is the official rulebook for the scientific naming of animals. But what about non-animals like… fungi? That’s where the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants (previously known as ICBN for International Code of Botanical Nomenclature) steps in.

Apparently, the ICBN Code says that a legit name (even as weird as squarepantsii) must not be rejected merely because it sounds unsuitable. One example given: Richardia L is not replaced by Richardsonia just cos it’s dedicated to a guy named Richardson. So, squarepantsii boleh pakai.

Perhaps, that’s why you’d see other weird names like Begonia kimjongilia and Dendobrium kimilsungia, which are named after North Korean son and father pair, Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung respectively.

No, we meant Kim Jong Un’s dad and grandpa.

Then, there are some ancient creatures with pop culture names like…

And a single celled organism called…

But can anyone beat this?

Either way it’s nice to know that scientists aren’t as serious and boring as we thought.