Science pays tribute to the man in black. Country legend Johnny Cash always wore black as a sign of rebellion and he even wrote a song about his penchant for black. He also sang about California’s Folsom Prison in an iconic visit there in early 19968. Fast forward 48 year, throw in a little arachnophobia and –BAM- you have a new species of tarantula spider, found near Folsom and named for Johnny Cash.

The males of aphonopelma johnnycashi are generally black, mirroring Cash's famous fashion statement of dressing in black.

CNN reports on a National Geographic article that says the research "rewrites scientific understanding of Aphonopelma, an understudied genus of harmless North American tarantula”. The scientist involved combined and collated data on the big hairy spiders, “In addition to identifying Johnny Cash and 13 new species, the team reclassified 40 old names, suspending some and combining others, leaving 29 species in the United States -- down from 55 when the team started.”

None of the species are in immediate danger of going extinct but scientists say many live in habitats where climate, human expansion and habitat degradation are likely to be a major influence on their future.

(CNN) http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/05/us/johnny-cash-tarantula-feat/

Spider therapy
MCT via Getty Images
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