India, Sept. 11 -- Taylor Swift has added a rather unusual title to her long list of achievements. The Grammy-winning singer is now the namesake of a newly discovered genus of plant-feeding Australian insects with scientists giving the group the name Swiftiephylus.

The name is a nod to Swift's huge fanbase with "Swiftie" being the name commonly used for her fans. The second part, Phylus, is a name frequently used for this group of insects.

The new genus was named by Sarah Schroeder, a doctoral student in entomology at the University of California, Riverside. As a lifelong Swiftie, Schroeder said she wanted to honour the singer while also drawing attention to insects that are still being discovered.

"It felt authentic to me as a lifelon...