The Sorting Hat Spider – Janae Voss

The Sorting Hat Spider

Janae Voss

Many new species have been discovered in the past decade. The species I chose to research is called the sorting hat spider. The scientific name of the species is Eriovixia gryffindor.(Greene, par. 8)

In 2016, the sorting hat spider was discovered in India by researchers from Mumbai. The researchers that are credited with the discovery are Javed Ahmad, Rajashree Khalap, and Sumukha Javagal. (Singh, par. 3)

The sorting hat spider was discovered in the Kan Forest of the Western Ghats in southwest India. The researchers found the spider in a bush, approximately 4 feet off the ground. The sorting hat spider’s habitat is known as a diversity hotspot. The spider is provided protection by local villagers that allow for the diversity.(Hrala, par. 7) A safe environment is important to the sorting hat spider because only one of them has been found.(Greene, par. 10)

The researchers have carefully observed the behavior of the sorting hat spider. The sorting hat spider is a member of the Eriovixia genus which contains 20 other species of spiders in Africa and Asia. This particular spider earned its name because it has a shape similar to the sorting hat from the Harry Potter books. The sorting hat spider is only 7mm in length and takes the shape of a hat. During the day the sorting hat spider resembles a dry leaf in order to protect itself from predators.(Singh, par. 5) The spider is also nocturnal and weaves orb-shaped webs in the night.(Greene, par.10)

Works Cited

Greene, Sean. “In 2016, Scientists Discovered 18,000 New Species .” latimes.com. Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2017, https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-new-species-top-10-20170522-htmlstory.html. 4 Dec. 2019.

Hrala, Josh. “Scientists Have Named This New ‘Sorting Hat’ Spider After a Harry Potter Character .” sciencealert.com. Science Alert, 15 Dec. 2016, https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-named-this-new-sorting-hat-looking-spider-species-after-a-harry-potter-character. 4 Dec. 2019.

Vijay Singh. “New Spider Named After Harry Potter Character.” timesofindia.com. Times of India , 10 Dec. 2019, https://m.timesofindia.com/home/science/Spider-named-after-Harry-Potter-character/amp_articleshow/55930913.cms. 4 Dec. 2019.