Scientist's pay David Attenborough 'biggest compliment' by naming spider after him

The spider – Prethopalpus attenboroughi – is a little over a millimetre long and found only on Horn Island off northern Queensland.

Sir David now has several species named after him including a plesiosaur called Attenborosaurus, a rat eating pitcher plant called Nepenthes attenboroughii, a fossilised and now extinct species of armoured fish, Materpiscis attenboroughi, a species of tree found in Ecuador, Blakea attenboroughii, and a long-beaked echidna from New Guinea called Zaglossus attenboroughi.

The broadcaster said he was honoured to have the arachnid bear his name.

In an acceptance speech in Perth, Western Australia, Sir David said: "I take it that it is careful in its judgment, merciless, certainly beautiful and I will treasure it. I thank you very much indeed for this.

"Naming a species is the biggest of compliments that you could ask from any scientific community and I truly thank you very much indeed for this one."

The spider is a type of spider commonly known as a goblin spider. The scientists behind the find said the common name for the new species would now be Attenborough's goblin spider.

The team said it was named after Sir David because of his enthusiasm for nature and his ability to make biology accessible to generations of television viewers over six decades.