Author Neil Gaiman has a history of spiders appearing in his works, something that is now celebrated with the naming of a new species in homage to the Sandman writer.

The research that led to the spider named in Gaiman's honor was reported by Pensoft. Co-authors Dr. Rebecca Godwin and Dr. Jason Bond from the University of California, Davis, during their revision of the trapdoor spider genus, were able to highlight 33 new species that could be found across North and South America. Many of the species identified were provided with names inspired by various artists. Gaiman's spider was christened Ummidia neilgaimani.

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The spider was identified as a native to Roanoke County, Virginia, U.S. The location happens to have a slight connection to Gaiman's works, as highlighted in Godwin and Bond's revision via ZooKeys. In the author's fantasy series American Gods, the ash tree that represents the World Tree is said to reside on a farm "one hour south of Blacksburg." These directions coincidentally come rather close to the type locality of the Gaiman-inspired spider.

It's actually not the first time the author has been connected to the naming of a spider. In January 2021, Gaiman tweeted his gratitude over another species named in his honor. The spider he was referring to was titled Selenyphantes gaimani, discovered by Thiago da Silva Moreira and Gustavo Horminga in association with George-Washington University. The white, nearly translucent spider, was found in Veracruz, Mexico, belonging to the Selenyphantes monotypic genus of sheet weavers. In response to that discovery, Gaiman wrote, "I'm amazed. I'm a spider. Well, sort of. (Thank you to whoever named it!)"

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The choice to use Gaiman as the inspiration for the spiders' names is not mere coincidence, as the author's works have incorporated the eight-legged creatures on various occasions. One of his most prominent uses of arachnids was the character of Anansi the trickster, a West African God commonly presented as taking the form of a spider. The character appeared in the story of American Gods and the novel Anansi Boys. Additionally, Gaiman featured in the documentary Sixteen Legs, which focused on a prehistoric cave spider.

The new species presented in the revision also included other popular artists, such Peter Gabriel and Brandi Carlile. Other trapdoor spiders in the article were named after places, such as the Pine Rockland trapdoor spider, which received its name from the habitat it was found in. Trapdoor spiders are uniquely identified by their use of silk, as rather than living on a web they instead hide in burrows lined with silk that forms their signature trapdoors.

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Source: Pensoft