A biologist has named a newly discovered trapdoor spider after rock star Neil Young: Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi.
The musician is "worthy of that honor" because he's been an activist for social and political issues, said East Carolina University biologist Jason Bond.
Bond, 40, examined the spider in a collection at the American Museum of Natural History in New York where it was identified as a new species that's indigenous to Alabama. He sent students there to collect more specimens.
It's not the first time Bond has bestowed a beloved name on a new spider species. He named one species Stasimopus mendelai after South African civil rights leader Nelson Mandela. The spider Apomastus kristenae is named after his wife, Kristen.
"I've got about 30 new species of trapdoor spiders from California that I have in the queue to put names to and I've got a few people in mind," Bond said. However, he says, "We don't always name things after people."
The 62-year-old Young - whose hits include "Rockin' in the Free World," "Heart of Gold," and Bond's favorite, "Cowgirl in the Sand" - has released more than 30 albums since 1969. His most recent, "Chrome Dreams II," was released last October. Considered one of rock's most influential figures, he was inducted into the Rock'N'Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
Joel Graves, a spokesman for Neil Young's management company, Lookout Management, said the company had no comment.
