Joshua Oliva found a new species of firefly and named it after his mom. He found the species after hiking near the Topanga Canyon in Los Angeles, California last May. According to reports, the discovery has been confirmed as a new species.

As per reports, it may take some years to name the species officially. However, Oliva has already named his first discovery after his mother. He said that he wants that the firefly should be named after his mother as she also had a role in hiking on Topanga Canyon on Mother's Day.

Oliva has a graduate degree in history, however his interest was always in insects when he was a freshman in college. During this fateful hike, He was also looking for insects for an entomology class project during the hike when he came across the discovery.

In order to identify the insect, Oliva brought it to the UC Riverside Entomology Research Museum. And museum scientist Doug Yanega told Oliva that this specific firefly species is not in any category and other experts from the University of Florida later confirmed it.

Yanega said, "While it's unusual for an undergraduate student to find a new species, this has happened before, and shows nicely how a little careful effort can pay off in a big way. He also said, "The act of formally describing a new species is like gathering evidence for a court case".

Yanega said that every year, UC Riverside researchers discover a dozen of new insect species but Oliva's firefly discovery is noteworthy since new discoveries are not usually made by undergraduate students.