Phialella zappai is a species of cnidarian in the family Phialellidae. It was named for musician Frank Zappa[1] by Ferdinando "Nando" Boero, a jellyfish expert from Genova, Italy who wrote to Zappa hoping to meet the musician whom he admired. Zappa replied saying "there is nothing I would like better than having a jellyfish with my name", leading to a meeting and eventually a friendly acquaintance between the biologist and the musician.[2]
| Phialella zappai | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Hydrozoa |
| Order: | Leptothecata |
| Family: | Phialellidae |
| Genus: | Phialella |
| Species: | P. zappai |
| Binomial name | |
| Phialella zappai Boero, 1987 | |