Professor Ingi Agnarsson of the University of Vermont and his undergraduate students have discovered 15 new species of "smiley-faced" spiders—and named them after, among others, David Attenborough, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio, David Bowie and Bernie Sanders— Spintharus davidattenboroughi, S. barackobamai, S. michelleobamaae, S. leonardodicaprioi, S. davidbowiei and S. berniesandersi.
Team leader Ingi Agnarsson, a spider expert and professor of biology at UVM said —
In naming these spiders, the students and I wanted to honor people who stood up for both human rights and warned about climate change — leaders and artists who promoted sensible approaches for a better world.
That pretty much rules out most Republicans; and Trump does not stand a spider’s whisker of a chance.
The Research
The team examined spiders from Jamaica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the Lesser Antilles, Florida, South Carolina, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Colombia and DNA analysis showed that what was believed to be one widespread species was actually many endemic species. The team was able to identify and formally describe 15 new species. The species have not been interbreeding — exchanging genes — for millions of years.
The yellow “smiley-faced” spiders are named for a smiley pattern on their abdomens.
Why Bernie?
Each (undergrad) student who helped describe the spiders also got to name a few of them — and some were named for beloved family members, “but we all named the Bernie Sanders spider,” says team member Lily Sargeant. “We all have tremendous respect for Bernie. He presents a feeling of hope.”
“That spider species will be named after Bernie forever,” says Ben Chomitz, another of the student researchers.
“Our time on this earth is limited,” says Lily Sargeant. “But I think that ideas are not that way. It is my hope that through naming that spider after Bernie we can remember the ideas that he has at this pivotal point in the life of our nation.”
The Spiders
Here are some of the images published by the research team —
S. barackobamai -
S. davidattenboroughi -
S. leonardodicaprioi -
S. davidbowiei -
S. berniesandersi -
Other Organisms named after Obama
Obama, for obvious reasons, is quite popular among scientists and has been honored by having many organisms named after him -
The fish Tosanoides obama was named after Obama to recognize his efforts to protect and preserve the natural environment, including the expansion of Papahānaumokuākea in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
There are a few organisms named after Republicans and some of history’s notorious characters. For example, Agathidium bushi, Agathidium cheneyi, Agathidium rumsfeldi and Agathidium vaderi are species of slime mold-eating Beetles named after George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Darth Vader respectively. Alpa donaldtrumpi is a moth named after Trump due to the resemblance of scales on the head of the moth to Trump's hair.
Diversity
The Vermont students saw their lab work in a broad cultural light. “I’m a second-generation American and I’m black,” says Lily Sargeant. “It is through a diversity of perspectives that we achieve innovation in science and I appreciate how much the Obamas value diversity.”
Ingi Agnarsson — “Here’s the thing, we need to understand and protect biodiversity in its many forms, and we felt compelled to recognize leaders that understand this.”
Hear, hear!
References
- Discovery: Bernie Sanders spider — www.uvm.edu/…
- Paper — fdslive.oup.com/… (not uploaded yet)
- Famously Named Organisms — www.dailykos.com/…
- Spiders - Shhh, They Can Hear Us! — www.dailykos.com/…
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List of organisms named after famous people — en.wikipedia.org/...