New species of spider named after Johnny Cash

Published: February 05, 2016

Biologists studying species of spiders have found 14 new species of the eight-legged arachnids, and have named one of them after legendary country musician Johnny Cash.

The spider, named Aphonopelma johnnycashi, was found near Folsom Prison, Calif.
The location is very familiar to Cash fans, as Folsom Prison is where the country singer often performed. He recorded a live album there, and his song "Folsom Prison Blues" directly references it.

The spider was discovered by Dr. Chris Hamilton as part of his Phd research at Auburn University in Alabama. Hamilton published his findings in the ZooKeys journal. The etymology section of the journal describes the naming of the spider as follows:

"The specific epithet is in honor of the country music legend, Johnny Cash. This species can be found near the area of Folsom Prison in California, and like Cash’s distinctive style of dress (where he was referred to as 'the man in black'), mature males of this species are generally black in colour."

According to National Geographic, Hamilton led a three-person team for over a decade working on uncovering new species of spiders. Their work has helped to redefine the understanding of the Aphonopelma genus of the North American tarantula.

Speaking with the BBC, Dr. Hamilton elaborated on the naming of the spider after Cash.

"It's found along the foothills of the western Sierra Nevada mountains, and one of the places that's there is Folsom Prison. It's a perfect name," said Hamilton. "It fits the spider — it's found around Folsom and the males are predominantly all black, so it fits his image. I have a Johnny Cash tattoo so I was very happy that it worked out that way."

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