In what could be the ultimate accolade by Harry Potter fans, Indian arachnologists have named a creepy new spider after the famous sorting hat which belonged to Godric Gryffindor, one of the founders of Hogwarts.
Eriovixia gryffindori was discovered by Indian spiders experts in the central Western Ghats of India.
Its naming was "an ode from the authors, for magic lost, and found, in an effort to draw attention to the fascinating, but oft overlooked world of invertebrates, and their secret lives".
New spider named after wizard from Harry Potter series by Indian Researcher @curiocritters @jk_rowling https://t.co/2RWE4sagqK pic.twitter.com/ykcZGpR4Rz
— Indiacom (@indiacom) December 12, 2016
"This uniquely shaped spider derives its name from the fabulous, sentient magical artifact, the sorting hat, owned by the (fictitious) medieval wizard Godric Gryffindor, one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and stemming from the powerful imagination of Ms JK Rowling, wordsmith extraordinaire, as presented in her beloved series of books, featuring everyone's favourite boy-wizard, Harry Potter."
JK Rowling appeared chuffed, and congratulated the scientists on Twitter on finding another Fantastic Beast, the name of her latest novel in the Harry Potter series.
Like the sorting hat, the spider has magical qualities.
It is a small, cryptic, nocturnal araneid which takes refuge in, and mimics dried foliage, during daylight hours.
Much like the invisibility cloak in Harry Potter, the spider avoids detection by resembling a leaf.
.@curiocritters I'm truly honoured! Congratulations on discovering another #FantasticBeast! 👉🕷✨ pic.twitter.com/NJ4Fe27F1r
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 11, 2016
According to the Harry Potter fandom site, the Sorting Hat is a sentient hat at Hogwarts that magically determines which of the four school houses to allocate each new student. These four Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.
Its naming clearly entertained the authors.
An ode for magic lost, and found, in an effort to draw attention to the fascinating, but oft overlooked world of invertebrates, and their secret lives.
They thanked the The Spinner Rack, a pop-culture, comic books, and arts community, for the hours of fun "discussing and enjoying the many myriad fictitious worlds of comic books, science fiction, and fantasy. "
The dry foliage mimicking spider was discovered by Javed Ahmed, Rajashree Khalap and Sumukha JN.
The paper was published in the Indian Journal of Arachnology.