How do you honour a rock legend like the iconic singer and songwriter Neil Young? Name a spider after him of course! A great story from Los Angeles (Reuters) informs us that an East Carolina University biologist named Jason Bond - not James sadly, has discovered a new species of trapdoor spider and decided to name the arachnid after his favourite musician, Canadian Neil Young : a memorable name (for a spider) - 'Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi'.

In a statement Bond said "There are strict rules about how you name new species. As long as these rules are followed you can give a new species just about any name you please. With regards to Neil Young, I really enjoy his music and have had a great appreciation of him as an activist for peace and justice."

The new spider species was discovered by Bond in Jefferson County, Alabama in 2007. He explains that spiders in the trapdoor genus, who tend to live in burrows and build trap doors to seal off their living quarters, are distinguished from one species to the next on the basis of differences in genitalia. ( Perhaps a little too much information if you are more of a Neil Young fan, than a spider fan, but interesting none the less!) 

Jason Bond has been able to confirm through the spider's DNA that the Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi is an identigiable, seperate species of spider within the trapdoor genus. That ought to make Neil Young fans happy, after all he is unique!

However he is not the only rock legend to have a creature named after him. He shares the honour with Roy Orbison and his wife: a species of beetle that looks as if it is wearing a tuxedo - the whirligig beetle, or Orectochilus orbisonorum - was named after them earlier this year!

Who needs a star when you can have a spider in the world wide web of fame!

WWW.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=USSP19797120080511