In a nod to actor Jeff Daniels, a rare new species of hermaphroditic worm has been named ‘Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi’ by scientists at the University of California, Riverside.
This particular worm attacks and kills tarantulas, the Daniels name is in tribute to his starring role in Frank Marshall’s 1990 horror-comedy film “Arachnophobia” in which his character saves a town from a deadly swarm of spiders.
In a statement provided by UC Riverside, Daniels says:
“When I first heard a new species of nematode had been named after me, I thought, ‘Why? Is there a resemblance?’. Honestly, I was honored by their homage to me and ‘Arachnophobia.’ Made me smile. And of course, in Hollywood, you haven’t really made it until you’ve been recognized by those in the field of parasitology.”
The worm kills the spiders by infecting them in such a way it causes the tarantula’s fangs to stop working – leading the spiders to die of starvation.
Source: Variety
