Researchers in southern China have named a newly discovered fish after Blackpink's Jennie, crediting the K-pop star's music with carrying the lead scientist through years of study. The species, Brachygobius jennie, was described June 17 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoosystematics and Evolution. It is the first bumblebee goby ever recorded in China.
At a maximum length of under 9 mm, it is the smallest known member of its genus, possibly the smallest fish in China, and among the smallest fish anywhere in the world, the authors wrote. The discovery drew quick interest from biologists and K-pop fans alike, the South China Morning Post reported.
Bumblebee gobies take their name from the bold black-and-yellow banding that makes them look like tiny bees, and the freshwater and brackish-water species are popular in home aquariums. Jiangyan Tian, a postgraduate student at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou and the study's first author, came across this one during fieldwork in the mangrove wetlands of Hengqin Island, at the mouth of the Pearl River next to Macau, in April 2025. The fish were hugging the bottom in shallow water. She first assumed they were juveniles of a familiar species, until their markings matched nothing on record for the area, she recalled in an announcement from the journal's publisher, Pensoft.
The find was a surprise, since the fish fauna of the Pearl River estuary is generally considered well documented. Back in the lab, Tian ran an integrated genetic and morphological analysis with colleagues at Sun Yat-sen University and confirmed the fish was new to science, according to the Pensoft announcement. The team also brought in Sébastien Lavoué of Universiti Sains Malaysia, where several bumblebee goby species occur, who said he had never encountered one so small and distinctive. In all, the researchers described 31 specimens.
Brachygobius jennie can be told apart from related gobies by four narrow dark bars behind the head, including a chevron-shaped second bar, phys.org reported from the study. Genetic data confirmed it as a separate species. Its size is what makes it scientifically valuable. Squeezing a functioning vertebrate body into less than a centimeter forces profound trade-offs in anatomy and physiology, and the authors wrote that the fish offers a rare model for studying the developmental constraints and evolutionary mechanisms behind extreme miniaturization. They added that estuarine fishes across Asia remain poorly cataloged and face mounting environmental pressure.
The name was Tian's tribute. Listening to Jennie's songs was "a constant source of inspiration" during her studies, she told the journal, and naming the species after the singer was her way of acknowledging that influence. Naming species after admired public figures is a long-running scientific tradition, and Jennie is not even the first member of her own group to be honored this way. In 2023, researchers at Chiang Mai University in Thailand named a critically endangered flowering plant, Friesodielsia lalisae, after her Thai-born bandmate Lisa. In April 2026, German scientists at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich named a 100-million-year-old insect preserved in Myanmar amber after the boy band Stray Kids.
Jennie Kim, known mononymously as Jennie, is a South Korean singer, rapper, and dancer. Born in 1996, she rose to global fame as a member of Blackpink, one of the most successful K-pop groups in history. Blackpink debuted in 2016 under YG Entertainment and has since shattered records on YouTube, Billboard, and streaming platforms. Jennie has also pursued a solo career, releasing hits like "Solo" and "You & Me," and has ventured into acting with the HBO series The Idol. Her influence extends to fashion, where she is a brand ambassador for Chanel and Calvin Klein. The naming of a fish after her highlights the cultural resonance of K-pop beyond music, bridging science and pop culture.
Bumblebee gobies belong to the genus Brachygobius, which includes about 15 species found in freshwater and brackish habitats across Southeast Asia. These tiny fish are known for their striking yellow and black stripes, resembling bumblebees, and are popular in the aquarium trade. However, many species are poorly studied due to their small size and cryptic behavior. The discovery of Brachygobius jennie in China extends the known range of the genus and underscores the biodiversity of the Pearl River estuary.
The extreme miniaturization of this fish involves adaptations such as reduced skeletal structures, simplified digestive systems, and unique reproductive strategies. Studying such traits can shed light on how vertebrates evolve to thrive in constrained environments. Moreover, the fish's habitat in mangrove wetlands faces threats from pollution, land reclamation, and climate change. The researchers hope that the naming of the species will draw attention to the conservation needs of these fragile ecosystems.
Jiangyan Tian's dedication to her work, inspired by Jennie's music, demonstrates how personal passions can fuel scientific discovery. The international collaboration involved in describing the fish also highlights the interconnectedness of modern research. As K-pop continues to captivate global audiences, its influence now extends to taxonomy, adding a unique chapter to the story of biological exploration.
Source: MSN News