The 43-year-old Oscar-winning actor has been a staunch campaigner for the environment for many years, creating The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1998.
The Grouvellinus leonardodicaprioi was discovered at the bottom of a waterfall in Maliau Basin, a remote nature reserve in Borneo.
It was found by Taxon Expeditions, a firm set up to help untrained volunteers discover new species and the expedition was funded by the ‘Inception’ star’s foundation.
After finding three new species of water beetle the participants voted to name one of them after Leo.
Dr. Iva Njunjic, founder of Taxon Expeditions, said: “Tiny and black, this new beetle may not win an Oscar for charisma, but in biodiversity conservation, every creature counts.”
The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation aims to reduce the impact of humans on the environment and protect the world’s last wild places. It has awarded over $100 million in grants since 2010.
Other celebrities to have insects names after them include Leo’s ‘Titanic’ co-star Kate Winslet, who also has a beetle named after her.
The Scaptia beyonceae horsefly was named after Beyonce because of its dense golden hair, and the Gnathia marleyi is a parasite that feed on fish in the Caribbean, named after late reggae singer Bob Marley.
As part of his efforts to help the environment, Leonardo recently invested in a new plant-based company, Beyond Meat, which aims to creates vegetarian substitute products that look and taste just like meat without using animals.
The ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ star said in statement to Fortune magazine: “Livestock production is a major contributor to carbon emissions. Shifting from animal meat to the plant-based meats developed by Beyond Meat is one of the most powerful measures someone can take to reduce their impact on our climate.”
Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown added: “Leo is serious about climate change. He’s a really good ally for us. This is not a celebrity deal. He is someone who genuinely believes in what we’re doing and wants to help grow it.”