Brown beetles should be called Hitler: zoological experts refuse request to change the name of the insect named after Adolf in 1937

Zoological experts have rejected a request to change the name of an insect named after Adolf Hitler in 1937.

The five millimeter long ‘Anophthalmus hitleri’ is a species of blind cave beetle found in about fifteen moist caves in Slovenia.

There has long been controversy over the title, with many scientists shocked that it still shares the same name as Hitler – one of history’s greatest monsters.

The name was even bestowed upon it after the leader’s brutal racist actions prior to World War II, including the Night of the Long Knives in 1934 and the Nuremberg Race Laws of 1935 – not to mention the Holocaust that was yet to come.

But after a new attempt to change the name, the International Commission for Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) has determined that this is not the case.

The insect was first discovered in what was then Yugoslavia on June 20, 1932.

It was found by a naturalist named Vladimir Kodric, who came across the cave called Pekel (Hell in English), one of the beetle’s few homes.

Although the first copy is currently behind glass in the Natural History Museum in Basel, Switzerland, Kodric first sent it to an Austrian collector and railway engineer named Oskar Scheibel. New York Times.

Scheibel – believed to be an avid fan of Hitler – was convinced that the beetle was a new species, but hesitated to publish the new species to ensure he was right.

Meanwhile, Austrian-born Hitler had become a German citizen four months before the discovery in 1932.

He was leader of the Nazi party and was also about to become Chancellor of Germany, which he did in 1933 and took control of the country.

After his deliberations, in 1937, Scheibel went back on his promise to name the insect after Kodric and instead named it after Hitler – and named it Anophthalmus hitleri.

He then informed the chancellery in Berlin about the insect and the new name, prompting Hitler himself to write a letter of thanks to Scheibel in return.

Unsurprisingly, people have no problem with the ‘Anophthalmos’ part of the name. The genus name comes from Greek and literally means ‘eyeless’.

Some have suggested that Scheibel was actually mocking the dictator by naming a blind beetle after him. However, this is unlikely, as the accompanying description reads: ‘Given to Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler as an expression of my admiration.’

Hitler was also known to have a fondness for beetles. In 1933 he commissioned Ferdinand Porsche to design the ‘people’s car’ (Volkswagen in German).

This became the VW Beetle, which still exists today in a modern form.

There has long been controversy over the beetle’s title, with many scientists shocked that the beetle still shares the same name as Adolf Hitler (pictured) – one of history’s greatest monsters.

Today, Anophthalmus hitleri is threatened with extinction.

This is attributed to the name and attributed to Hitler’s fame.

In 2006, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported that almost all preserved specimens in the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Munich had been stolen.

It seemed that the beetle had become a trophy coveted by collectors of Nazi memorabilia, who are also known to capture the insects in Slovenian caves and resell them for as much as $2,000 each.

Martin Baehr, a beetle expert at the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, said in 2006: “There is a complete run on these creatures, and collectors are invading the beetles’ natural habitat to get their hands on them.”

Slovenia has even been forced to introduce laws against insect collecting to protect endangered species such as Anophthalmus hitleri.

However, whether they are on the brink of extinction is in doubt, with experts wondering how anyone could ever estimate how many are left in the cave.

Nevertheless, some suggest that changing the name could promote its continued existence and reduce its popularity among neo-Nazis and collectors of Nazi memorabilia.

The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature discourages scientists from naming species after anything that could be considered offensive.

Pictured: A sketch from Scheibel’s 1937 article outlining the discovery of the beetle

However, it says it generally does not allow name changes on these grounds after they have already been given a scientific name.

Of the beetle, ICZN chairman Thomas Pape has previously said: “It was not offensive when it was proposed, and it may not be offensive in a hundred years.”

One solution that has been put forward is to change the local name. Last year the new name Slovenian blind cave beetle was proposed.

However, in its latest ruling, the ICZN said it would not change the scientific name, saying: “There have been no requests to change the scientific names of animal species for ethical reasons,” according to Image.