New spider species named after Johnny Cash found near Folsom Prison
by Jesse Locke
February 8, 2016
The tarantula in black is called the 'Aphonopelma johnnycashi.'
The Man In Black has earned his latest tribute in the form of a tarantula. Take a look at the ‘Aphonopelma johnnycashi’ below:
The spider was named in Cash’s honour for two reasons: 1) Its adult males are almost entirely black to match the musician’s trademark look. 2) It was discovered in the foothills of the western Sierra Nevada mountains near California’s Folsom Prison. Cash famously dedicated a song to the penitentiary with 1955’s “Folsom Prison Blues” and later recorded a live album at the jailhouse in 1968.
“I have a Johnny Cash tattoo so I was very happy that it worked out that way,” said Dr. Chris Hamilton of Alabama’s Auburn University, who helped discover 14 new tarantula species from the southern U.S.
Cash also recently received a 50-foot monument statue in Folsom. It includes ‘flame cutouts’ to make the musician appear like he’s descending into the “Ring of Fire” when the California sun sets. Look for a signature Johnny Cash Tylenol brand in tribute to his cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” on a pharmacy shelf soon.
[h/t BBC]