Tasmanian spider named after curious 10-year-old Murphy amid new species discovery
A 2020 find by 10-year-old Murphy Widdowson on Deal Island, Tasmania, could not be identified by experts at first. After microscopic examination by arachnologists, it was described as a new wolf spider species, Artoriopsis murphyi, named in Murphy’s honor. The discovery underscores the value of curiosity and citizen science in documenting biodiversity, with the spider measuring about 5 mm and not believed to be dangerous to humans.