“Greedo” Fish Named After Star Wars Character

A new species of catfish has been named after a character from the original 1977 Star Wars film.

Greedo

The suckermouth armored catfish was discovered in Brazil in the late 1990s. While closely examining the fish recently, researchers noted the resemblance to the character Greedo in the original Star Wars film (recently renamed Star Wars IV: A New Hope). The fish, Peckoltia greedoi, is noted for its large eyes and protruding bristles.

Biological sciences professor Jonathan Armbruster obtained specimens of the fish in 2005 at the Auburn University Museum of Natural History. Ten years later, a colleague remarked that the fish resembled the bounty hunter character from the original 1977 Star Wars film. “We then knew what the name had to be. The Peckoltia greedoi does bear a striking resemblance to Greedo,” Armbruster said.

Greedo first appeared in the 1977 Star Wars film, working for Jabba the Hutt as a bounty hunter. The character also appeared in a 2010 episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Armbruster has named more than 40 fish species, and has named some species after colleagues and former students.