''Loureedia phoenixi'' is a species of
spider
Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
discovered in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
in the year 2020. The species is categorized as a
velvet spider
Velvet spiders (family Eresidae) are a small group (about 130 species in 9 genus, genera) of spiders almost entirely limited to the Old World, with exception of a few species known from Brazil. In Europe some are commonly called the Ladybird spid ...
. The spider is described as reclusive. It is named after the actor
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (; né Bottom; born October 28, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for playing dark and unconventional characters in independent films. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academ ...
, for a color pattern which matches the movie character
Joker from
D.C. Comics.
''Loureedia phoenixi'' is the first of its genus to be found not in the Mediterranean, which is over 1500 kilometers away from the rest of the genus.
See also
*
List of organisms named after famous people (born 1950–present)
In biological nomenclature, organisms often receive scientific names that honor a person. A taxon (e.g. species or genus; plural: taxa) named in honor of another entity is an eponym, eponymous taxon, and names specifically honoring a person or pers ...
References
Eresidae
Spiders described in 2020
Insects of Iran
Spiders of Western Asia
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