(Publ. 27 OCT 2021) A group of scientists at the Geology Department of Lund University, Sweden, have named a Russian fish fossil after guitarist Tony Iommi in the British band Black Sabbath. The name became Drepanoistodus iommii.

The scientists are heavy metal fans and believe that Black Sabbath is the ancestor of the entire heavy metal genre. In this way, they honor both the guitarist and the genre.

Drepanoistodus iommii is now called the newly discovered species of conodont, which is described as a species of jawless, eel-like, ancient fish that existed some 469 million years ago, in the geological period Ordovicium.

”As a name creator, I think the choice of name is creative and witty, especially in the scientific field. Name creation is often improved when you let go of conventional rules and see where the inspiration takes you”, says Kristina Björnerstedt, name consultant and Managing Director at Skriptor Zigila.

Tony (Anthony) Iommi co-founded Black Sabbath in the late 1960s with Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. The band has undergone membership changes, but Tony Iommi was the only regular member during Black Sabbath’s nearly 50 years as an active member. Now he is ready to play on the next solo album by Black Sabbath bandmate and singer Ozzy Osbourne.

Image: Tony Iommi, Black Sabbath at Lollapalooza 2012. The image is partly cropped. Shane Hirschman, CC BY-SA 2.0.