''Carmenelectra'' is an extinct genus of fly belonging to the family

Mythicomyiidae Mythicomyiidae, commonly called mythicomyiids, are very tiny flies (0.5–5.0 mm) found throughout most parts of the world, especially desert and semi-desert regions, except the highest altitudes and latitudes. They are not as common in the ...

and containing a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

species ''Carmenelectra shechisme''.

Fossil records

''Carmenelectra'' is known from a

Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non- avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

fossil discovered preserved in

Baltic amber The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber, called Baltic amber or succinite. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that these forests created more than 1 ...

. The fly was very small, with size of . Fossils of the family Mythicomyiidae are relatively rare, with those preserved in amber even harder to find. The reason for the scarceness of the fossil material is presumed to be the humidity of the

Baltic region The terms Baltic Sea Region, Baltic Rim countries (or simply the Baltic Rim), and the Baltic Sea countries/states refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea, mainly in Northern Europe. ...

during the Tertiary, which made the region unsuited to the aridity-loving mythicomyiids.

Etymology

In 2002, the species was named after the model and actress

Carmen Electra Tara Leigh Patrick (born April 20, 1972), known professionally as Carmen Electra, is an American actress, model, singer, and media personality. She began her career as a singer after moving to Minneapolis, where she met Prince, who produced h ...

Neal Evenhuis Neal Luit Evenhuis (born Kornelus Luit Evenhuis on 16 April 1952;) is an American entomologist. He works at the Bishop Museum in Hawaii. Evenhuis has described over 500 species of insects since 1976, and is known both for his research and peculia ...

, former president of the

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 26 commissioners from 20 countries. Orga ...

and senior

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

at the

Hawaii Biological Survey The Hawaii Biological Survey (abbreviated as HBS), located on the campus of the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporat ...

. Evenhuis attempted to contact the model to inform her about the naming of ''Carmenelectra shechisme'', but his efforts were unsuccessful. In 2008, he said: "The offer's still good. I'll be willing to meet her." Names of species discovered in amber (such as the genus ''

Electromyrmococcus ''Electromyrmococcus'' is an extinct genus of mealybug in the Pseudococcidae subfamily Rhizoecinae. The genus currently contains three species, all from the early Miocene, Burdigalian stage, Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola ...

'') often contain the prefix ''electro-'' (ἤλεκτρον (elektron) meaning "amber" in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

). The species epithet sounds like "she kiss me" and is reminiscent of the Victorian entomologist

George Willis Kirkaldy George Willis Kirkaldy (1873 – February 2, 1910) was an English entomologist who specialised on Hemiptera. He was a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society from 1893. Kirkaldy, born in Clapham, in Greater London to W. H. Kirkaldy of Wimbl ...

's alleged practice of commemorating his romantic conquests with names of women. The official description of the species says: "The genus-group name is named for television, film, and magazine personality, Carmen Elektra ic Both namesakes exemplify splendid somal structure for their respective taxa. The species-group epithet is an arbitrary combination of letters."

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5043629

† A dagger, obelisk, or obelus is a typographical mark that usually indicates a footnote if an asterisk has already been used. The symbol is also used to indicate death (of people) or extinction (of species). It is one of the modern descendan ...

Prehistoric insects of Europe Eocene insects Fossil taxa described in 2002