Auburn student discovers new species of tarantula, names it after Johnny Cash

Auburn University PhD student Chris Hamilton recently discovered a new species of spider and promptly named it after music legend Johnny Cash.

Aphonopelma johnnycashi is one of 14 new tarantula species discovered by Hamilton in the United States. This particular species was discovered near Folsom State Prison in California, where Johnny Cash famously performed a series of concerts for prisoners in the 1960s and about which he wrote his famous song “Folsom Prison Blues.”

Hamilton says that this spider has not been discovered before because it very closely resembles other species, like the Mojave Desert’s Aphonopelma iodius.

“It’s found along the foothills of the western Sierra Nevada Mountains, and one of the places that’s there is Folsom Prison,” Hamilton told the BBC. “It’s a perfect name. It fits the spider – it’s found around Folsom and the males are predominantly all black, so it fits his image. I have a Johnny Cash tattoo so I was very happy that it worked out that way.”

By using genomics, a branch of molecular biology that focuses on the structure, function, evolution, and mapping of genomes, Hamilton’s team was able to separate Aphonopelma johnnycashi from other species. Their structure, DNA, ecological variables, and evolutionary trajectory confirmed their uniqueness and warranted being a separate species.

Hamilton’s research team included Jason Bond, also from Auburn, and Brent Hendrixson of Millsaps College. National Geographic proclaimed that the team’s findings have rewritten the family tree of the Aphonopelma genus. The team started with 55 species, but reclassified 40 old names, suspended some, combined others, and defined 14 brand-new species. This left the team with 29 Aphonopelma species in the United States.

“The real surprise is just how much novel diversity we found in the United States, a place that most of the public would probably think has been surveyed really well,” said Hamilton, who was with Auburn University Museum of Natural History during the research.

Other species Hamilton discovered were not named after celebrities. Most species are named after unique characteristics they possess. Aphonopelma xwalxwal, another species Hamilton’s team found, can be found in an area where Cahuilla Native Americans are from, and the word “xwalxwal” means “spider” in their language.

Johnny Cash is not the first musician to have a new species of animal named after him. The Clash’s Joe Strummer, Ozzy Osbourne, and John Lennon all have animal species named after them as well.