Aphonopelma johnnycashi
| Aphonopelma johnnycashi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Female | |
 | |
| Male | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Theraphosidae |
| Genus: | Aphonopelma |
| Species: | A. johnnycashi |
| Binomial name | |
| Aphonopelma johnnycashi Hamilton, 2016[1] | |
Aphonopelma johnnycashi is a species of tarantula found in 2015 near Folsom Prison in California, and named after Johnny Cash, whose song Folsom Prison Blues made it famous. Mature males are generally black, and the country music singer was also known as "The Man in Black".[1]
Natural history
This spider can be up to six (15 cm) inches long, the males black and females dark brown. Like most North American tarantulas, they are relatively harmless to humans, unlikely to bite and with venom only mildly irritating.[2]
The new categorization of this spider is part of an effort to more carefully catalog American tarantula species. For decades there has been a suspicion that there are more species than identified, but that they are similar enough to be overlooked. The new effort has broken them down according to behavior and observable traits, though there has not been genetic testing done to truly ascertain where the species lines are drawn.[3]
References
- 1 2 Hamilton, C.A.; Hendrixson, B.E. & Bond, J.E. (2016), "Taxonomic revision of the tarantula genus Aphonopelma Pocock, 1901 (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Theraphosidae) within the United States", ZooKeys 560: 1–340, doi:10.3897/zookeys.560.6264
- ↑ Stuart Winter. "'Johnnycashi' tarantula: Scientists name newly-discovered arachnid after country crooner". Express.co.uk.
- ↑ Michael Greshko. "New 'Johnny Cash' Tarantula Uproots Spider Family Tree". National Geographic News.