Scientists from the University of California have named a newly discovered tarantula-killing worm after actor Jeff Daniels. The worm – now dubbed as “Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi” – is inspired by the 66-year-old character Dr Ross Jennings in the 1990 film Arachnophobia.
“When I first heard a new species of nematode had been named after me, I thought, ‘Why?
And of course, in Hollywood, you haven’t really made it until you’ve been recognised by those in the field of parasitology.”
When infected, the appendages that control the tarantula’s fangs also stopped working, which primarily contributed to its death due to starvation.