Karl Lagerfeld’s Jumping Spider, also known as the ‘Jotus karllagerfeldi’ (pictured). Image: Mark Newton
A new spider named the ‘Jotus karllagerfeldi’ pays homage to the late fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld. says the spider’s chic colouring and vibrant personality inspired the name.
Commonly known as ‘Karl Lagerfeld’s Jumping Spider’, the ‘Jotus karllagerfeldi’ is a newly named Australian Brushed Jumping Spider.
Mr Schubert worked with Queensland Museum arachnologist, Dr Barbara Baehr and Dr Danilo Harms from the University of Hamburg to name five new spider species, including this stylish arachnid.
“The Jotus karllagerfeldi was named in honour of the late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld,” Mr Schubert, Spider Taxonomist from Monash University’s School of Biological Sciences.
“He’s fashionably dressed in black and white hairs, and the fringes of black hair reminded us of gloves.
“The spider has large eyes that look like suave black sunglasses.
“His front legs look like Lagerfeld’s iconic kent collar.”
The ‘Jotus karllagerfeldi’ (pictured) has fashionable black and white hairs. Image: Mark Newton
The scientists examined the five new species from the Queensland Museum’s collection and officially named and described them in the article ‘The Brushed Jumping Spiders (Araneae, Salticidae, Jotus L. Koch 1881) in ‘Evolutionary Systematics on 18 June 2019.
“We looked at the spiders under the microscope and wrote up scientific descriptions of their features,” Mr Schubert said.
“Spiders of this genus are really fascinating because they perform courtship dances to nearby females.
“They’ve got quite a bit of personality.”
While Brushed Jumping Spiders are widely documented, they are seldom described as a species. These spiders are only a few millimetres wide and difficult to spot.
