Behold the Hotwheels Sisyphus, the only species of Chinese ground spider in the genus Hotwheels. Researchers Bo Liu and Feng Zhang from Hebei University recently described the spider in an article published in January 2024 in Zookeys, titled Hotwheels gen. nov., a new ground spider genus (Araneae, Gnaphosidae) from southwest China.
The spider is named after its genitals. The article explains that the genus name "refers to Hot Wheels, a collectible die-cast toy car made by Mattel, as the long, coiled embolus of this new genus resembles a Hot Wheels track" and that the species name "is derived from Sisyphus, a king in Greek mythology who offended Zeus and whose punishment was to repeatedly roll a huge stone up a hill only to have it roll back down because the circular copulatory ducts are like Sisyphus's cyclic mission."
Wikipedia insightfully explains that "the genus name is likely satirical."
Here's the article if you want to read it. If you want a terrific overview of the spider with some great visuals, check out this great 7-minute video by YouTube content creator Northflowo. It's an informative and entertaining way to learn about this curious, newly discovered creature! Enjoy!
Previously:
• Spiders blamed after broken siren played creepy nursery rhymes randomly at night to UK townsfolk
