New spider species named after teen climate campaigner Greta

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greta thunberg, spiders

Paris - Expert hopes that her name could draw attention to the issue of biodiversity loss in Madagascar.

By AFP

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Published: Sun 14 Jun 2020, 12:58 AM

Last updated: Sun 12 Jul 2020, 1:12 AM

Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg can add to her list of personal accolades, including TIME magazine's Person of the Year, a group of spiders named after her.
Thunberga gen. nov. is a new genus of huntsman spiders from Madagascar, described by German arachnologist Peter Jager, and named after the wunderkind in honour of her commitment to tackling climate change.

In a study printed in the journal Zootaxa, Jager explained that the new genus differed from other huntsmans in their eye arrangement and unique dotted patterns on their backs. Jager said he hoped that by naming the creepy crawlies after Thunberg he could draw attention to the issue of biodiversity loss in Madagascar.


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