A newly discovered Weta has been named after the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern.

Wetas are giant flightless crickets, which are generally nocturnal. The newly discovered species of Weta is native to New Zealand and has been named Hemiandrus jacinda. It has been named after her as it is Labour-red in colour and long-legged. The giant Weta, which means “god of ugly things” in the language of the indigenous Maori, likely have played key roles in New Zealand’s original ecosystem.

The scientist who named the cricket, Steven Trewick, a professor in evolutionary ecology at Massey University in New Zealand described the species as having “reflecting traits of the prime minister”.

The New Zealand PM’s office said that they are aware of the announcement and honoured. A spokesperson from the PM office added that apart from the Weta, “A beetle and a lichen, along with an ant in Saudi Arabia, have also been named after her.”

More than 100 species of Wetas are found in the caves, trees, bush and occasionally in gardens in the sub-urban regions. The jacinda species of the Weta of the Hemiandrus group, makes burrows in the grounds and emerges in the night to hunt.

The Newly discovered species is bigger and is more brightly coloured than the other 17 ground Weta species which are already recorded and are found in the native forests in the Bay of Plenty, Coromandel, Northland, Waikato in the upper North Island.

The newly discovered species was described by the Zootaxa journal as “comparatively large, long-limbed, glossy and predominantly orange-red”.

Steven Trewick stated that the new Weta species jacinda is not a cryptic beast but a hefty insect with flamboyant colouring. He also added that it’s discovery is a proof that “in a time of accelerating environmental change, loss of natural habitat and global precipitous decline of the planet’s biological diversity, the work of species discovery continues.”  He further added that the Wetas of New Zealand are a rich and diverse species living in all sorts of habitats, yet waiting to be discovered.

A cause of concern among scientists and conservation activists is that the Wetas are under threat of extinction with introduction of new predators like cats and rats in the region and changes in the farmlands.