Researchers at the Natural History Museum of Denmark have described a new genus of rove beetle, naming it Luffy after the rubber-bodied protagonist of the manga and anime One Piece. The genus was established by PhD student Fang-Shuo Hu and Alexey Solodovnikov, who found the beetles' unusually long, slender mandibles, antennae and maxillary palps strikingly reminiscent of Luffy's stretching abilities.
Two species were identified: Luffy schillhammeri, found in broadleaf forests in China's Yunnan Province and named for rove-beetle researcher Harald Schillhammer, and Luffy nika, discovered in Louang Namtha, northern Laos. The second species carries prominent white hair bands echoing the character's "Gear 5" Nika transformation, the source of its name.
Beyond the playful naming, the discovery fills a real gap in beetle classification: Luffy appears to be the probable sister group to the entire Eucibdelus lineage, helping clarify the evolutionary history of the subtribe Staphylinina. The findings were published in the open-access journal ZooKeys on August 3, 2026.