A newly-discovered species of tarantula-killing nematode worm has been named in honour of the actor Jeff Daniels, who starred in the 1990s film 'Arachnophobia'.

'His character in the film is a spider killer, which is exactly what these nematodes are,' said parasitologist Adler Dillman, who led the team that discovered the worm. .

A newly-discovered species of tarantula-killing nematode worm (pictured) has been named in honour of the actor Jeff Daniels, who starred in the 1990s film 'Arachnophobia'. 'His character in the film is a spider killer, which is exactly what these nematodes are,' said parasitologist Adler Dillman, who led the team that discovered the worm.

'When I first heard a new species of nematode had been named after me, I thought: "Why.

While nematodes are among the most abundant animals on the Earth — and are represented by a whopping 25,000-odd different species — this is only the second time that a species has ever been found to infect tarantulas.

'If they get this infection, [tarantulas] will die of starvation,' said Professor Dillman.

On inspecting some of the infected specimens, the expert noticed that each had an unusual but distinctive white mass present around their mouths — one he recognised immediately as being made up of nematode worms.

It's possible that they feed on bacteria that live on the tarantulas,' Professor Dillman said.

On inspecting some of the infected specimens, Professor Dillman noticed that each had an unusual but distinctive white mass present around their mouths (as pictured)— one he recognised immediately as being made up of nematode worms.

According to Professor Dillman, the fact that this is only the second tarantula-infecting nematode ever discovered is probably down more to the limited number of people that study the spiders, rather than the uniqueness of the parasites. .

With their initial study complete, the team are now looking to understand how the worms alter the tarantula's behaviour and paralyse their pedipalps — as well as developing ways that breeders could deal with or prevent T