Orsonwelles spiders

[Store Hadji]

I missed this in 2002:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... d=88012608
http://www.gwu.edu/~spiders/content/pub ... 202002.pdf

The taxonomist named the giant spiders Orsonwelles since he said Welles was a giant among moviemakers.

Well that's what he said.

There's a bunch of them within the genus Orsonwelles:
Orsonwelles Bellum (Latin for War)
Orsonwelles Polites (Greek for Citizen)
Orsonwelles Malus (Latin prefix Mal meaning Evil)
Orsonwelles Ambersonorum
Orsonwelles Falstaffius
Orsonwelles Othello
Orsonwelles Macbeth
Orsonwelles Calx (Latin for Lime)
Orsonwelles Torosus (Latin for full of muscle, knotted > Torose meaning bulging or protuberant - a comment on girth, or some other meaning?)
Orsonwelles Graphicus (Latin for painting, also masterly or skillful)
Orsonwelles Ventus (Latin for Wind)
Orsonwelles Arcanus (Latin for shut, closed, secret - the Welles connection escapes me)
Orsonwelles Iudicium (Latin for Trial)

[Glenn Anders]

Thank you, Hadji: I had come across these spiders somewhere -- but lost the reference.

A close look at some of the photos you give us might have one imagining the air suddenly filled with: "Rosebud!"

Glenn

[Alan Brody]

Spiders being named after Orson Welles, cats and dogs imitating Orson Welles. I mean, what's this world coming to?:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzWpvHFG6_8