Spider is named after the US president

A species of spiders that new scientists discovered is called after the President of the United States Barack Obama.

An male Aptostichus barackobamai spider. (Photo: Jason Bond)

Scientists at the Museum of Natural History and the Department of Biology at Auburn University in the United States discovered 33 new species of spiders in the southwest of the United States. They belong to the Aptostichus spiders - including spiders that live in underground pits and create a membrane made of silk on the crater.

Aptostichus barackobamai , the name of a spider among them, is called by the reign of President Barack Obama. Other species also carry the names of many other famous figures - such as environmental writer and activist Edward Abbey, Mexican American human rights activist Cesar Chavez.

Aptostichus spiders are distributed in warm climates. Insects are their main food. Their venom can paralyze insects or die instantly. They work at night. The main enemies of the Aptostichus spiders are bees that hunt spiders. Bees often search for spider nests and find ways to get inside the nest to catch them.

This is the fourth time scientists have used Mr. Obama's name to call species. Previously his name was given to a fish (Etheostoma obama), a lichen (Caloplaca obamae) and an extinct lizard (Obamadon gracilis).