Lou Reed Has New Genus of Velvet Spider Named After Him
Although he hasn't had a constellation named after him, Lou Reed has joined the late Frank Zappa and Neil Young as rock stars who have had newly discovered spiders named after them.
According to Sci-News.com, a new genus of velvet spider has been recently named Loureedia "in recognition of the fact that this velvet spider lives underground." Obviously in reference to Reed's time in the Velvet Underground, Loureedia was chosen by an international group of biologists and representatives of institutions from the U.S., Hungary, Denmark and Iran among other countries.
The velvet spider -- which is described has having a "dark and shiny" appearance -- is known to be rarely encountered, much like Reed's at times testy encounters with music journalists over the years. The creature is also known to live in Africa, Asia and Europe with Brazil also home to a form of the species.
Reed has sung about spiders in the past. For example the song "Baton Rouge" -- found on the 2000 album Ecstasy -- contains the lyrics, "In the terra-cotta cobwebs of your mind/When did you start seeing me as a spider spinning web."
Reed joins Young, who had a trapdoor spider named Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi after him a few years ago. Zappa's spider is called the Pachygnatha zappa and was so named in part due to the creature's markings that bring to mind the musician's signature mustache.
Reed is currently off the road after releasing Lulu, the album created from Reed's collaboration with Metallica last year. Reed embarks on a European tour next month starting in Luxembourg and concluding in early July in Slovakia. Reed also makes a guest
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