Eriovixia Gryffindori, sounds like something out of a Harry Potter book, right? Well, it kind of is. But maybe a little less magical and a little more creepy.
A spider resembling the infamous Hogwarts sorting hat due to its shape, colour and ‘sub-triangular abdomen’ has been named as an ode to ‘the authors, for magic lost, and found, in an effort to draw attention to the fascinating, but often overlooked world of invertebrates, and their secret lives.’
The spider was discovered in Western Ghats, a mountain range in Karnataka, south-west India by Javed Ahmed, who was a big fan of the books. The sixth new spider discovered by Ahmed and fellow researchers Rajashree Khalap and Sumukha Javagal, the team are hoping their seventh will be named after Aragog, the giant flesh-eating spider from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Please don’t.
The Indian Journal of Arachnology described the new species as ‘a small, cryptic, nocturnal araneid which takes refuge in, and mimics dried foliage, during daylight hours.’
But don’t worry guys for Mark Elgar, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Melbourne’s School of BioSciences, has said it’s ‘probably about half the length of the fingernail on your little finger.’
J.K Rowling has responded on twitter, saying ‘I’m truly honoured! Congratulations on discovering another #FantasticBeast!’ This one we’d rather was mythical.
Picture: Javed Ahmed/ Twitter
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.