Dr. Seuss Rocks Your Socks!

 Laurier prof gives spider a Dr. Seuss moniker

The Lorax, the strange, little environmentally conscious character in the book that bears its name, has a big, bushy, yellow moustache as well.

The thought struck Long as he studied a picture of a newly discovered spider with a distinctive yellow marking on its face, right below four of its eight eyes.

The spider was the subject of a contest presented by the University of British Columbia’s Beaty Biodiversity Museum. Earlier this year, the public was invited to submit names for the little arachnid, a new species of jumping spider discovered in Ecuador in 2010 by the museum’s scientific director, Wayne Maddison.

The winning name would follow Lapsias, the genus classification for certain jumping spiders. Long — an assistant professor of biology at Wilfrid Laurier University — was intrigued.

The physical similarity made Lorax a good fit for the spider, he thought. But the book’s themes of species protection and habitat conservation sealed the deal. “It seemed an excellent coincidence,” Long said.

And museum officials agreed, selecting his suggestion as the winning entry. The spider will now be known as Lapsias lorax.