RuPaul Makes Emmy History And Has A Bug Named After Him

It has been a week of accomplishments for world famous drag queen RuPaul Charles.

On Tuesday he won his sixth straight Emmy for Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Competition Program, which ties him with cinematographer Donald A. Morgan for the record for most Emmy wins by a person of color.

“I started in television 40 years ago on a public access station in Atlanta, Georgia. A little show called The American Music Show. They were so kind to me to have me do my hard yards there years ago, and I want to thank them for being so kind to me and all the people in this business who’ve been kind,” RuPaul said in his acceptance speech.

If RuPaul wins at next week’s Emmys for Outstanding Competition Program for Drag Race, he will break the record.

Opaluma Rupaul

But, another more unusual milestone the host of VH1’s RuPaul’s Drag Race achieved this Wednesday was  CSIRO naming a newly discovered a bug after RuPaul

Australian entomologist Bryan Lessard, has named a recently discovered soldier fly Opaluma rupaul, in honour of the Drag Race host.

Category is: new species extravaganza! Introducing the @RuPaul soldier fly, serving charisma and uniqueness, one of 150 new species named by @CSIRO in the last year! #csirocollections https://t.co/CMRbUODVqN pic.twitter.com/TCPNFGYUDo

— Dr Bryan Lessard (@BrytheFlyGuy) September 14, 2021

“Category is: new species extravaganza! Introducing the RuPaul soldier fly, serving charisma and uniqueness, one of 150 new species named by the CSIRO in the last year,” Lessard tweeted.

In an interview with The Guardian, Dr Lessard said naming the bug after Rupaul was an obvious choice.

“I was watching a lot of RuPaul’s Drag Race while examining this species and I know it would challenge RuPaul on the runway serving fierce looks,” Lessard said.

This species of bug is known for its iridescent colours and thorny bellies and according to Dr Lessard they play a vital role in the Australian ecosystem.

“Soldier flies are valuable in the ecosystem. The larvae recycle nutrients from dead plants and animals, while adults are pollinators of some Australian plants,” Lessard said in a CSIRO press release. 

“Many of the thirteen new soldier flies I named are from areas impacted by the Black Summer bushfires.”

Drag Race Loving Entomologist

‘Rainbow colors & legs for days’: Australian fly species named after RuPaul @BrytheFlyGuy https://t.co/PeP026BLTh pic.twitter.com/nMfRwrDRRl

— RuPaul (@RuPaul) September 15, 2021

Dr Lessard has a history of naming insects after famous pop culture icons. In 2011 he named a fly the Scapita beyonceae in honour of pop icon Beyonce.

The drag race loving entomologist also named three beetles after Pokemon characters Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres.

While he has previously been shunned for his eccentric name choices for insect species, Dr Lessard said the fabulous names can attract the attention of citizen scientists and policy makers to include these species in bushfire recovery efforts.

We love this rainbow fly 🌈 @CSIRO, you bunch of legends! Hopefully, unlike its namesake, this queen is anti-fracking. https://t.co/MlmwhrYYg1

— Australian Greens (@Greens) September 15, 2021

The Australian greens party tweeted their support while also taking a jab at RuPaul for owning a fracking farm in Wyoming.

“We love the rainbow fly CSIRO you bunch of legends! Hopefully, unlike its namesake, this queen is anti fracking,” the Greens party tweeted.