New spider species named after actor Joaquin Phoenix

A new velvet spider species have been discovered in Iran and named after actor and animal rights activist Joaquin Phoenix. The actor’s recent movie Joker gained him a lot of popularity for his acting skills. 

The spider is named Laureedia Phoenix due to the male’s abdominal pattern resembles exactly like Phoenix’s character Joker’s famous facial makeup.

The majority of the spider’s body is covered with thin black hair with a red bright line on its back and white spots at each tip.

This newly-discovered species is the first one of its kind to be found outside the Mediterranean, as other velvet spider species have been located in Morocco and Spain to Israel.

The velvet spider may not be toxic to humans, but it does have some venom, powerful to kill insects.