Harvestmen are a diverse group of more than 6,500 species. Harvestmen have a single pair of eyes and a fused body structure that differs from spiders, which they otherwise superficially resemble. They belong to a different order (Opiliones). Harvestmen are arachnids but not spiders. The paper's lead author is Ricardo Pinto-da-Rocha of Sao Paulo's Instituto de Biociences. “What is remarkable about this species is that its got a rather nifty name-a name that resonates with the public-and its biology is quite interesting as a secretive cave-dweller,” says Buddle, who was not involved in the new research. Similarly, the arachnid lost most of its pigmentation after generations of living in moist, dark caves. “Its name matches its biology,” says arachnid expert Christopher Buddle of Canada's McGill University, referring to the fact that Smeagol spent years isolated in a cave, eventually growing into the pale, secluded Gollum. Tolkien's series of novels (and later, films). ![]() Iandumoema smeagol is an eyeless, cave-dwelling harvestman named for Smeagol, the hapless hobbit who became slimy cave-dweller Gollum in J.R.R. Scientists in Brazil have just identified a new species of harvestman, or daddy longlegs, and they’ve named it with a playful-but-accurate reference to a character from the Lord of the Rings saga.
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