Scientists named a newly discovered arachnid commonly referred to as a "daddy long legs" after "Smeagol," the golem from J.R.R. Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
According to Live Science, the arachnid shares several similarities with Smeagol, as both are small and pale and never leave their cave. Published in the journal ZooKeys, the new study detailed the harvestman Opiliones arachnid called Iandumoema smeagol.
"Its name matches its biology," Christopher Buddle, an arachnid expert at McGill University in Canada, told National Geographic. "What is remarkable about this species is that its got a rather nifty name - a name that resonates with the public - and its biology is quite interesting as a secretive cave-dweller.
"Slowly but surely we pick away at discovering and naming our earth's biodiversity."
But unlike Smeagol, the arachnid with its namesake cannot see. I. smeagol is blind due to troglomorphism, a condition brought on when a creature spends all its days in darkness. The condition can also be blamed for the spider's pale pigment.
"The fourteen adult and juvenile individuals, observed by the researchers, were noticed to always stay close to the stream, most often preferring the wet cave walls. While the juveniles appeared quite active, the adults showed a more sedentary behavior," according to a press release detailing the study. "Typically for the harvestmen, the new species was found in a cave with organic matter deposits or spots. On one occasion the team observed one of the individuals in such litter, where it was scavenging carcasses of invertebrates."
