''Lapsias lorax'' is a species of lapsiine jumping spider from Ecuador. ''L. lorax'' was discovered by Wayne Maddison in November 2010 in the

Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve The Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve is a certified conservation area on the North-Western slopes of the Andean mountain range and is located 52 km from the Ecuadorian capital city of Quito. The lodge itself comprises guest rooms, 10 km ...

of Ecuador, in a

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

at of elevation. It is the first species of the genus ''

Lapsias ''Lapsias'' is a spider genus of the jumping spider family, Salticidae. Phylogeny ''Lapsias'', '' Galianora'' and '' Thrandina'' are informally classified as "lapsiines". These are believed to be basal jumping spiders. While ''Galianora'' and ...

'' to be discovered in western South America. The spider discovered by Maddison—an adult male—is the only known specimen of the species. It is about in length, and its body is reddish brown in colour. Its face has a big white band across it, and its jaws have diagonal yellow stripes. From May to August 2011 the

Beaty Biodiversity Museum The Beaty Biodiversity Museum is a natural history museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, located on the campus of the University of British Columbia. Its of collections and exhibit space were first opened to the public on October 16, 2010 ...

in Vancouver, British Columbia, of which Maddison is the scientific director, held a contest to name the spider. 810 names were submitted, and ''lorax'' was ultimately chosen, submitted by Tristan Long, a professor from Wilfrid Laurier University. The name is a reference to the character of the Lorax from Dr. Seuss's book ''

The Lorax ''The Lorax'' is a children's book written by Dr. Seuss and published in 1971. It chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, the titular character, who "speaks for the trees" and confronts the Once-ler, a business magnate who cause ...

'', due to its yellow moustache which resembles the stripes on the spider's jaws. As well, ''The Loraxs environmental message was seen to be appropriate; Maddison commented that "not only is there a resemblance, but it really fits the museum's message."

References

External links

*
''Lapsias lorax'' at the Global Species Database of Salticidae
Spiders described in 2010 Spiders of South America Fauna of Ecuador Articles containing video clips {{Jumping-spider-stub