Highlights

  • Scientists named a new spider species Otacilia Khezu after a Monster Hunter creature.
  • The spider's name combines the Latin term for its genus and the Monster Hunter beast.
  • Arachnologist Yejie Lin has a history of naming species after pop culture interests.

Scientists have named a new spider species after the popular Monster Hunter beast Khezu. The Monster Hunter franchise is recognized for its incredible wildlife with many monsters based on real-life animals and others on fantasy creatures like dragons or leviathans.

Since the first Monster Hunter game was released in 2004 for PlayStation 2, the series has presented players with dozens of fantastic monsters to hunt down, each with a unique physiology and behavior. The largest monsters in Monster Hunter are usually dragons, but the variety found in the Capcom franchise ranges from small beings like the feline lynians to huge deadly monsters like wyverns. These creatures are often inspired by mythological beings from tales, while others draw from existing life forms fans know. However, a group of scientists has turned the tables and named a newly found spider after a Monster Hunter beast.

Alma from Monster Hunter Wilds
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A newly discovered spider from China has received the name of Otacilia Khezu. The first half of the name, Otacilia, is the Latin term that describes the spider's Araneomorphae genus, while the second half, Khezu, is a reference to the Monster Hunter creature. The paper was published in the Biodiversity Data Journal and the authors attribute the game as their inspiration. The Otacilia Khezhu is an eyeless spider and, in the Monster Hunter series, Khezu are a kind of blind flying wyvern, so this is the trait that connects the two.

Scientists Name Newly Discovered Spider After Khezu From Monster Hunter

As pointed out by Twitter user SilencedVouivre, the scientist behind the Otalia Khezu is Arachnologist Yejie Lin and they have previously named other real-life animals after their personal interests. For example, they named two spiders Funny Valentine and Gyro Zeppeli, like the characters from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and they came up with the Rathalus genus based on another Monster Hunter wyvern. The author is not alone in the trend of naming newly found life forms based on pop culture. In fact, several insects and animals are named after video game franchises.

Khezu are a popular species from the Monster Hunter saga, as they were introduced in the first installment of the series and have returned in various sequels. Even though Khezu are eyeless, they are still among the hardest monsters to kill in Monster Hunter: Rise. Whether Khezu will appear in the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds remains unknown.

In May 2024, the Monster Hunter franchise hit 100 million copies sold, a milestone that followed the saga's 20th anniversary. Fans can look forward to even more content and new monsters when Monster Hunter Wilds releases in 2025.