Researchers have named a newly identified wolf spider species after Aragog, the fictional giant arachnid from the Harry Potter series that could communicate with human beings.
Named lycosa aragogi, the new species bears a striking resemblance to its fictional counterpart. According to the researchers, the naming opportunity was too good to pass up.
“We found out that there was an extreme similarity between our spider and Aragog as he was depicted in the second film,” co-researcher Alireza Zamani, a graduate student at the University of Tehran in Iran, told Live Science.
The new species was discovered in Iran
Lycosa aragogi was discovered near its burrow in a mountainous region of Kerman Province, Iran. The spider has a 1-inch-long body, excluding the legs, and has scattered dots and patterns of black and white fur (known as setae) on its abdomen.
Aragog, the Acromantula that featured in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was based on the anatomy of a wolf spider.
The study was published in the journal Zootaxa.
However, this isn't the first time that a spider was named after a Harry Potter character.
Last year, a new species of spider was named after the Hogwarts’ Sorting Hat, the enchanted hat that belonged to Godric Gryffindor, the great wizard who also co-founded the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Eriovixia gryffindori; our new species named after the sorting hat from @jk_rowling books Kudos to my brilliant coauthor @INDogProject pic.twitter.com/L8U0aeXdak
— Javed Ahmed (@curiocritters) December 10, 2016
Discovered in India, the spider is called Eriovixia Gryffindori. The nocturnal araneid earned the title as its "sub-triangular abdomen" resembles the shape and colours of the Sorting Hat, noted the researchers.
The pointy, triangular abdomen of the spider helps it camouflage as a dry leaf to hide from its predators, while it sleeps.
The study on this species was published in the Indian Journal of Arachnology.
Some other bugs named after Harry Potter characters
Meet "Harryplax severus", a resourceful crab species who scientists have named jointly after Harry Potter and Snape: https://t.co/Mo7pjmlHiO
— Barnes & Noble (@BNBuzz) January 24, 2017
In January, a beady-eyed crab was identified and named Harryplax severus.
The crustacean that lives along the coasts of an island in the western Pacific Ocean shares its name with Harry Potter and Severus Snape from J.K Rowling’s famous fantasy series. The name also honours Harry Conley, the collector who first discovered the translucent crabs in 2001.
In May 2014, the Natural History Museum in Berlin let the public vote on a name for a newly discovered species of wasp. 'Ampulex dementor' was the name chosen. The red and black wasps are native to Thailand.
The wasp 'Ampulex Dementor' is named after the Dementors in Harry Potter because of the way it paralyses prey. pic.twitter.com/mf0DwCWKlL
— Weird Science (@weird_sci) March 22, 2015
The wasp is known to selectively paralyse its prey with just one sting, much like the dementors, the fictional prison guards of Azkaban who had the ability to literally suck the life out of their prey, leaving their victims in a permanent vegetative state.
The findings were published by the scientists in PLOS One in April 2014.
Potterheads, take note!