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posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday July 01 2020, @04:35PM   Printer-friendly
from the ha-ha-ha-ha-ha dept.

Submitted via IRC for RandomFactor

A newfound spider species wears a striking red-and-white pattern on its back that resembles the grin worn by Batman's long-standing nemesis, the Joker. The resemblance is so uncanny that the researchers who described the arachnid named the species after actor Joaquin Phoenix, who portrayed the tormented, smiling villain in the 2019 film, "Joker."

Ironically, the colorful spider belongs to a genus that was named for the late punk rock icon Lou Reed, who famously wore black and rarely smiled.

Scientists discovered Loureedia phoenixi in Iran; it's the first Loureedia spider to be identified outside the Mediterranean region, they reported in a new study. The genus, first described in 2018, now includes four species.

Source: https://www.livescience.com/joker-spider-joaquin-phoenix.html


Journal Reference:
Alireza Zamani, Yuri M. Marusik. A new and easternmost species of Loureedia (Aranei: Eresidae) from Iran, Arthropoda Selecta (DOI: 10.15298/arthsel.29.2.09)

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  • (Score: 2) by choose another one on Wednesday July 01 2020, @07:00PM

    by choose another one (515) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday July 01 2020, @07:00PM (#1015117)

    Should have been Loureedia Ledgeri, would have got Nobel prize for that (to sit next to the Oscar)

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