Introducing Johnny Cash the Tarantula

Is it possible to ‘walk the line’ on eight legs? According to a team of scientists who’ve just discovered a brand new species of spider, the answer is yes! In a playful move that’s not often seen within the science sphere, scientists have named a newly discovered species of tarantula after the legendary country music superstar, Johnny Cash. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the world is now home to a tarantula named Aphonopelma johnnycashi.  

The spider in black

So what inspired them to use the ‘Man in Black’ as the muse for the spider’s scientific name? Fittingly, the tarantula was discovered near California’s Folsom prison, the jailhouse where Cash famously recorded Folsom Prison Blues back in 1955. Needless to say, when this eight legged creepy crawly sinks its fangs into the skin, it will burn, burn, burn like a ring of fire. The fact that six-inch diameter males have solid black bodies is also reminiscent of the iconic singer-songwriter.

"It immediately fit," explains Dr Chris Hamilton of the Florida Museum of Natural History, the man behind the quirky name. "It's a really important mechanism for reaching out to the public and getting them involved. We want the public to love these new species, too."

The search for new tarantulas

Together, Hamilton and his team spend over a decade searching for new species of tarantulas across the US. In total they examined more than 3,000 specimens, making it the most thorough taxonomic tarantula study ever conducted. The result was the discovery of 29 US tarantula species, with 14 of these completely new to science.

“We often hear about how new species are being discovered from remote corners of the Earth, but what is remarkable is that these spiders are in our own backyard. With the Earth in the midst of a sixth mass extinction, it is astonishing how little we know about our planet’s biodiversity, even for charismatic groups such as tarantulas,” adds Hamilton.

Want to know more about the environmental importance of spiders such as Aphonopelma johnnycashi? Inspired by National Insect Week 2014, ‘Little Things that Run the World’ delves into the massive magnitude of insects, and the importance of improving public knowledge on the role they play in stabilising global habitats. Now in its sixth year, the seven-day event is organised by the Royal Entomological Society (RES) in conjunction with the Natural History Museum, home to the largest collection of invertebrates in the world.

Image via Flickr Creative Commons. Photo credits: matt knoth