Magical scientists name spider after the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter

There's a brand new fantastic beast.
 By 
Tricia Gilbride
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

J.K. Rowling's stamp of approval can make or break just about anything, and a new spider species was sorted into the cool kids club by Rowling herself.

Researchers in Mumbai named a new species Eriovixia gryffindori after Godric Gryffindor because it looks like it's wearing the famed Sorting Hat from the Harry Potter universe.

Javed Ahmed, Rajashree Khalap and Sumukha Javagal published their findings in the Indian Journal of Arachnology.

We're excited to have found this new spider whose shape is similar to the magical sorting hat owned by the wizard [Gryffindor]," Ahmed told The Times of India.

"As a youngster, I was very fond of reading Harry Potter books. So, when I encountered this tiny spider, I thought of the magical hat."

It's a safe bet Ahmed is not a Slytherin.

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Tricia Gilbride

Tricia Gilbride was a Reporter for Mashable Watercooler. Tricia focused on the intersection of celebrity culture and the Internet. Previously, she worked as a fashion writer and a social media manager. She also edits Women-Artists.org, a blog and annual print publication, and looks exactly like her cat.

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