Ummidia mercedesburnsae
Trapdoor spider named after Dr. Mercedes Burns
What is the coolest thing named after you? Our very own Dr. Mercedes Burns now has a Trapdoor spider, native to southern Arizona and New Mexico, named in her honor. In a new publication, authors Rebecca Godwin and Jason Bond of University of California, Davis, write "The specific epithet is a patronym in honor of Dr. Mercedes Burns the first female African American arachnologist (to our knowledge)."
Posted: April 6, 2021, 11:05 AM