New Spider Species Named After U2’s Bono

A new arachnid specie has been discovered from California's Joshua Tree National Park and has been named after U2 lead singer Bono as "Aptostichus bonoi".

Nearly 33 new species of trapdoor spiders were identified by biologist Jason Bond, an Auburn University professor, and director of the Alabama school's Museum of Natural History. Among the newly found spiders, three of them were from Joshua Tree National Park. In 1987, U2's album was named The Joshua Tree. The lead of U2, Bono, has won several Grammy Awards and a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

Trapdoor species are known for making burrows and capping it with a trapdoor. They hide from prey beneath it and camouflage themselves with the plant and soil material. They are a type of ambush predators. They detect the prey by the vibrations and leap out of the burrow to catch the prey.

The other two species have been named after the Native American groups, namely the Aptostichus serrano and Aptostichus Chemehuevi, reports The Riverside Press-Enterprise.

Prior to this, Bond has named several spiders after celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Stephan Colbert, Cesar Chaves, John Muir, magician Penn Jillette, President Barack Obama and his daughter Elisabeth.

"We've been describing things for 250 years, almost two million species. There's seven to 15 times as many species out there left to describe," Bond was quoted as saying in the Press Enterprise.

Before this, only seven species belonging to this group were described.