Jeff Daniels now has a tarantula-killing worm named after him
If you think you know who Jeff Daniels is, think again. You might be thinking of the Hollywood actor -- but there's now a tarantula-killing worm with a very similar name.
(CNN)If you deliberation you cognize who Jeff Daniels is, deliberation again. You mightiness beryllium reasoning of the Hollywood histrion -- but there's present a tarantula-killing worm with a precise akin name.
The worm -- named tarantobelus jeffdanielsi -- was discovered by scientists astatine the University of California, Riverside (UCR) and is 1 of much than 25,000 nematode species, but lone the 2nd 1 recovered to infect tarantulas.
Researchers decided to sanction the worm aft Daniels arsenic a motion to his relation arsenic Dr. Ross Jennings successful the 1990 movie "Arachnophobia," successful which his quality saves a Californian municipality from a spider infestation.
"When I archetypal heard a caller taxon of nematode had been named aft me, I thought, 'Why? Is determination a resemblance?'" Daniels said successful a press release published by UCR Tuesday.
"Honestly, I was honored by their homage to maine and Arachnophobia. Made maine smile," helium added. "And of course, successful Hollywood, you haven't truly made it until you've been recognized by those successful the tract of parasitology."
Adler Dillman, main researcher and an subordinate prof of parasitology astatine UCR, was initially contacted by a wholesale tarantula breeder successful September 2019, who told him that respective tarantulas had died with achromatic masses astir their mouths.
Dillman and his squad identified them arsenic having been infected with jeffdanielsi. Infected tarantulas were observed walking connected tiptoes and not eating, researchers said. They besides mislaid the quality to usage their pedipalps -- the organs that power their fangs.
As for what the taxon should beryllium called, it was an "easy decision" for Dillman, who told CNN Thursday that Daniels had been "so gracious astir the full thing."
"We had a laboratory enactment wherever we watched the movie implicit Halloween successful 2019," Dillman told CNN via email. "I already knew that I wanted to sanction the nematode aft Jeff Daniels, due to the fact that of the evident connection.
"I'm a kid of the 80s, truthful I grew up watching Arachnophobia and loving Jeff Daniels and his work," Dillman added. "But I wanted to person the remainder of the laboratory that naming the nematode aft him was the close move. What amended mode to bash that than person them ticker the film, which wholly holds up by the way."
Jeffdanielsi are described by the squad arsenic "self-fertilizing hermaphrodites that nutrient their ain sperm and eggs" and tin nutrient up to 160 offspring during their lifetime.
Dillman said a tarantula infected with jeffdanielsi could instrumentality months to dice of starvation, but that the corruption was lethal. He and his squad are readying further studies to recognize however the corruption develops and changes tarantulas' behavior, and whether they tin beryllium prevented by breeders.
Their findings were published Monday successful the Journal of Parasitology.
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