Australian spider named after Abba

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Only one species is known so far from the newly named genus Abba transversa, according to a statement from the University of Perth. Measuring only 3-4 millimeters in size, the spider is native to the coastal areas of New South Wales and Queensland.

“The genre name, songs and subsequent musicals are Mamma Mia! (2008) and Mamma Mia – Here We Go Again! (2018) provided hours of entertainment for writers,” says the study by two researchers in the journal Evolutionary Systematics.

More than 4000 spider species in Australia

Therefore, the species was discovered in Australia in 1912, but has now been scientifically correctly identified. It was previously assigned to the genus Araneus, which earlier spider researchers used as a “dumpster” for species that could not be clearly identified.

According to two researchers, the orb-weaver spider family (Araneidae) currently has 230 described species divided into 46 genera. For the definition of the group, 12,000 specimens from collections in Australian museums and abroad were evaluated over a 15-year period. “A total of more than 4,000 spider species have been described in Australia, and between 10,000 and 15,000 species are still unnamed, according to estimates,” Framenau told the German Press Agency.

Spiders of the Araneidae family are known for forming spherical webs. The new breed differs from other groups in the family by having two dark spots on the body and typical plumage on the first pair of male legs.

Preference for special names

Framenau and Castanheira have previously shown a penchant for special names: they named the orb-weaver spider species Socca johnnywarreni in honor of football and Australian sports legend Johnny Warren, as Murdoch University reported late last year. The Art Socca arena is also now available.

The spouses of both researchers had previously been immortalized in species names, according to the university. Castanheira is quoted as saying that naming spiders can be fascinating – as in Socca elvispresleyi: “When we saw that part of the male genitalia looked exactly like Elvis’ hair, there was only one name we could give it.”

(SDA)

Source : Blick