Newly Discovered Parasitic Worm Named After Jeff Daniels
variety.comTodd Spangler NY Digital EditorJeff Daniels is now the proud namesake of a tarantula-killing, hermaphroditic species of worm.Scientists at the University of California, Riverside discovered a rare new species of nematode, a worm that attacks and kills tarantulas.
The research team dubbed the worm “Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi” after the actor, musician and producer, because Daniels’ character in the 1990 horror-comedy film “Arachnophobia” saves a town from a deadly swarm of spiders.There are more than 25,000 described species of such nematodes, which are one of the most abundant animals on Earth.
But according to UC Riverside, Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi is only the second time one has ever been found to infect tarantulas.
Daniels’ character in “Arachnophobia” is “a spider killer, which is exactly what these nematodes are,” said UC Riverside parasitologist Adler Dillman, who led the team that discovered the nematode.In a statement provided by UC Riverside, Daniels quipped: “When I first heard a new species of nematode had been named after me, I thought, ‘Why?
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