Washington: A newly discovered tarantula species from South America has been named after John Lennon, a founder member of the legendary English rock band ‘The Beatles’.
The researchers, who were all fans of the Beatles music, discovered the tarantula in Western Amazonia, Brazil, and named it Bumba lennoni.
The new species is part of the tarantula family Theraphosidae which comprises the largest spider species in the world.
The genus, Bumba, which is proposed as replacement of the old one Maraca, already taken and used for Orthoptera, is taken from Brazilian theatrical folk tradition of the popular festival called Boi-bumba (hit my bull), which takes place annually in North and Northeastern Brazil.
The new species, as other tarantulas, has defencive urticating hairs on the abdomen which produce irritation upon contact with the skin or sensible tissues.
The specimens used in the study were captured manually or in traps during the night in Caxiuana, Para, Brazil, which suggest they could be mainly nocturnal animals.
The authors of the study include Fernando Perez-Miles, from the University of the Republic, Uruguay, and Alexandre Bonaldo and Laura Miglio, both from the Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Brazil.
The study was published in the open access journal ZooKeys.
