Peter Jäger is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

arachnologist, and current Head of Arachnology at the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, Germany. He has named several spiders after celebrities; in 2008, he named '' Heteropoda davidbowie'' after British singer

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, and '' Heteropoda ninahagen'' after German singer

Nina Hagen Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rose to prominence during the Punk subculture, punk and New wave music, new wave movements in the late 1970s a ...

. In 2013, he named '' Ctenus monaghani'' (currently in the genus '' Bowie'') after actor Dominic Monaghan, to honor his work in the documentary series ''

Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan ''Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan'' is a wildlife documentary series commissioned by Channel 5 and BBC America and presented by actor Dominic Monaghan, who also serves as an executive producer for the show. Each hour-long episode follows Monagha ...

''. In 2020, Jäger named a new genus and species of

huntsman spider Huntsman spiders, members of the family Sparassidae (formerly Heteropodidae), are known by this name because of their speed and mode of hunting. They are also called giant crab spiders because of their size and appearance. Larger species sometim ...

s from

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

after

Greta Thunberg Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (; born 3 January 2003) is a Swedish environmental activist who is known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation. Thunberg's activism began when she persuaded ...

. The new spider is named ''

Thunberga greta ''Thunberga'' is a genus of east African huntsman spiders. The genus was first described by Peter Jäger in 2020, and it has only been found on Madagascar and on Mayotte. It is named after the environmental activist Greta Thunberg. Species it co ...

''. In 2022, he named 54 species of huntsman spiders from across Asia under the new genus '' Bowie'' in commemoration of the musician

75th's birthday, the second time the musician's name was honored.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Arachnologists German arachnologists {{Germany-scientist-stub