A newly discovered trapdoor spider has been named after rock star Neil Young: Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi.
The musician is "worthy of that honor" because he's been an activist for social and political issues, said East Carolina University biologist Jason Bond.
Bond, 40, examined the spider in a collection at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where it was identified as a new species that's indigenous to Alabama. He sent students there to collect more specimens.
View Comments
It's not the first time Bond has bestowed a beloved name on a new spider species. He named one species Stasimopus mendelai after South African civil rights leader Nelson Mandela. The spider Apomastus kristenae is named after his wife, Kristen.