BLACKPINK’s Jennie now has a 9mm fish named after her
Chinese researchers have discovered a new species of miniature bumblebee goby and named it after Jennie Ruby Jane, a member of the K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The tiny fish was first spotted in the shallow wetlands of Hengqin Island in China’s Guangdong Province, where it was swimming close to the bottom among the mangroves of the Zhujiang River Estuary.
At first, Jiangyan Tian, a postgraduate student at Sun Yat-sen University and the study’s lead author, assumed the fish were juveniles. Their unusual markings, however, suggested otherwise.
“One day, during fieldwork in the wetlands of the Zhujiang River Estuary, my attention was drawn to small fish living close to the substrate in shallow waters. At first, I thought they were juveniles. However, their body marking pattern did not match that of any fish species known from this region,” Tian recalled.
Back in the laboratory, researchers examined the specimens using genetic testing and detailed morphological analysis. The results confirmed that the fish belonged to a species previously unknown to science.
The discovery was particularly surprising because the region’s fish fauna is considered relatively well documented. It also marks the first time a member of the Brachygobius genus has been recorded in China, extending the genus’s known range into the country’s subtropical mangrove wetlands.
The new species, described in the peer-reviewed journal Zoosystematics and Evolution, was named Brachygobius jennie.
Measuring less than nine millimeters in maximum standard length, it is the smallest bumblebee goby species described to date. Scientists believe it may also be the smallest fish ever recorded in China and one of the tiniest known fish species in the world.
Despite its miniature size, the fish has a distinctive appearance. It bears four narrow bars behind its head, including a chevron-shaped second bar that reaches the middle of its underside. These markings, together with genetic evidence, distinguish it from every other known bumblebee goby.
The species was given the common name Jennie’s Bumblebee Goby in honor of BLACKPINK member Jennie Ruby Jane.
“Listening to the songs of Jennie Ruby Jane during my studies was a constant source of inspiration. Naming this species after her is my way of acknowledging the positive influence she had on my work,” Tian said.
Beyond its celebrity-inspired name, the tiny goby could become an important model for scientists studying extreme miniaturization in vertebrates. Researchers say it may help them better understand how drastic reductions in body size affect anatomy, physiology and evolution.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that BLACKPINK’s third EP, Deadline, debuted at No. 11 on Britain’s Official Albums Chart, while its lead track, Go, entered the Official Singles Chart at No. 44.
