Harry Potter hat inspires name for spider species

The Eriovixia Gryffindori spider was discovered in the Western Ghats mountain range of south-west India.-AFP

Mumbai (AFP) - Indian scientists have discovered a new species of spider that looks "uncannily" like the sorting hat in Harry Potter and have named it after its owner Godric Gryffindor, they said Thursday.

The ardent fans of the boy wizard came across the seven millimetre (around a quarter of an inch) spider in October last year during a survey of the lush Western Ghats mountain range in south-west India.