A new species of spider which bears a startling resemblance to the sorting hat in Harry Potter has been discovered in India.
The arachnid has subsequently been named Eriovixia gryffindori, after Godric Gryffindor, the character who owns the hat.
The spider, which mimics dry foliage was found in forestlands of central Western Ghats and its existence was announced in the Indian Journal of Archaeology.
The journal states: “This uniquely shaped spider derives its name from the fabulous, sentient magical artifact, the sorting hat, owned by the (fictitious) medieval wizard Godric Gryffindor, one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy, and stemming from the powerful imagination of Ms JK Rowling, wordsmith extraordinaire, as presented in her beloved series of books, featuring everyone’s favourite boy-wizard, Harry Potter.
“An ode from the authors, for magic lost, and found, in an effort to draw attention to the fascinating, but oft overlooked world of invertebrates, and their secret lives.”
Scientist Javed Ahmed told BBC’s Five Live: “We were searching the area (when) we bumped into the spider.”
The Harry Potter fan added: “When we found it we decided that we were going to name it after the sorting hat.”
The spider is distinctive for its leaf-like appearance, which features small, irregularly spaced brown spots.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has reacted with delight to the find, tweeting: “I’m truly honoured! Congratulations on discovering another #FantasticBeast!