''Bumba lennoni'' is a species of
tarantula
Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...
found in 2015 in
Caxiuanã National Forest
Caxiuanã National Forest ( pt, Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, also ''FLONA de Caxiuanã'') is a national forest located in lower Amazon region the state of Pará in the North Region of Brazil. It is located on the west banks of the Baía de C ...
. It is about one inch long, small for a tarantula but is closely related to the largest spider in the world.
Origins
This spider lives in northern
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, and is named after
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
"the legendary creator of The Beatles, who contributed to make this world a gentler place".
[
Like all tarantulas, the lennon tarantula's ancestors diverged from a common ancestor with the normal, web-spinning spider perhaps 350 million years ago.
]
Biology
Though very small (about 1 inch), this tarantula shares its genus with relatively large b. horrida, with a five-inch legspan, and has many traits that imply it is closely related to ''Theraphosa blondi
The Goliath birdeater (''Theraphosa blondi'') belongs to the tarantula family Theraphosidae. Found in northern South America, it is the largest spider in the world by mass () and body length (up to ), and second to the giant huntsman spider by l ...
'' the Goliath birdeater
The Goliath birdeater (''Theraphosa blondi'') belongs to the tarantula family Theraphosidae. Found in northern South America, it is the largest spider in the world by mass () and body length (up to ), and second to the giant huntsman spider by l ...
spider, largest known extant spider speciesNew Tarantula (Not Beetle) Named After John Lennon
br /> Though not particularly large—its body is about 1.3 inches (34 millimeters) wide—the newfound arachnid belongs to the same family as the dinner-plate-size Theraphosa blondi, the world's largest spider.
See also
* ''
Ilyodon lennoni''
*
List of organisms named after famous people (born 1900–1949)
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q19704982
Spiders of Brazil
Theraphosidae
Spiders described in 2014
John Lennon