A new genus of the wandering spider family has been named after the late singer David Bowie on the occasion of the pop legend’s 75th birth anniversary.

Within the Bowie gene genus. November Originally from Asia, arachnologist at the Senckenberg Research Institute and Museum of Natural History, Dr. Peter Jager has described 54 new spider species.

By naming the spiders after a celebrity, the spider researcher from Frankfurt would like to draw attention to the still largely unexplored diversity of eight-legged creatures and the need for conservation. The study was published in the journal Zootaxa.

The wandering spider family (Ctengae) includes smaller representatives with a body length of only two millimeters and relatively large spiders up to five centimeters long, all of which are mainly found in the tropics. Wandering spiders are nocturnal, live as nomads and hunt freely without webs. The most obvious representative of this family is probably the “Brazilian wandering spider”, one of the few spiders whose bite can endanger human life.

“By studying predominantly Asian descendants in this family, I soon realized that they cannot be assigned to any preexisting genus,” arachnologist Peter Jäger of the Senckenberg Research Institute and the Frankfurt Museum of Natural History explains in a statement. . and continues: “I think that’s why I dedicated this new genre to David Bowie and named it Bowie.”

This isn’t the first time Jäger has made a major name for his new eight-legged expeditions: he honored Greta Thunberg, Nina Hagen, Boyan Slat, and Malala Yousafzai, among others, as their namesake. In 2008, a spider researcher from Frankfurt declared himself a fan of the British musician who died in 2016, naming the hunting spider species Heteropoda davidbowie.

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So why are we now dedicating an entire spider species to David Bowie? “On the occasion of Bowie’s 75th birthday, I wanted to commemorate this unique artist who passed away so early, but here is the idea of ​​preservation that is most important to me: We just keep what we know, and a catchy name does. More.” probably will be remembered,” explains Jäger.

Bowie gene with 54 newly identified species. November is the second largest genus in the wandering spider family. The species is found from Nepal and southern India, through much of South and Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea. An undescribed species is also known from northern Australia. Members of the new genus live in the leaf piles of forests, and most species have a small range, usually 100 kilometers.

“These endemic species, especially those confined to a very specific area, should be considered potentially endangered, even minor changes in their habitats could lead to extinction,” adds Jäger.

The newly identified genres bear names such as Bowie ziggystardust, Bowie majortom, or Bowie heroes, referring to the musician’s hits or characters. In the northwest part of the series, old Bowie songs were the inspiration for the naming; central areas may have names such as Bowie Teenagewildlife or Bowie Chinagirl, while in southeastern New Guinea Bowie’s latest work is commemorated by Bowie Lazarus and Bowie Blackstar.