A group of researchers in Mumbai have named a newly-discovered species of spiders after a character in the Harry Potter books. The Eriovixia gryffindori was named after Godric Gryffindor – one of the four founding fathers of fictitious wizarding school Hogwarts – because the spider appears to be wearing the famous Sorting Hat from the Harry Potter world.
“I’m truly honoured! Congratulations on discovering another Fantastic Beast!” Harry Potter creator JK Rowling said on Twitter, after one of the researchers Javed Ahmed broke the news to her on the social media platform. “We named a spider after the Sorting Hat from the films!. Meet Eriovixia gryffindori,” he said.
Ahmed, along with Rajashree Khalap and Sumukha Javagal, published their research in the Indian Journal of Arachnology. They discovered the new species in the central western ghats in Karnataka.
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