Monster Hunter’s influence has made its way into the world of science once again. Researchers have officially discovered a brand new spider species from Java, Indonesia, and named it after Inagami, an Elder Dragon from Monster Hunter Frontier.

The full scientific name is Rathalos inagami Dhiya’ulhaq & Dwikelana sp. nov., and it belongs to a family of spiders commonly called “ghost spiders” (family Anyphaenidae). The new species was described by a research team from Species Obscura, including Naufal Urfi Dhiya’ulhaq, Ahmad Restu Dwikelana, and Professor Purnama Hidayat from the Plant Protection department of IPB University.

The spider was found associated with bamboo, which makes the naming choice a fitting one. In Monster Hunter Frontier G5, Inagami is an Elder Dragon that lives in bamboo forests and has a unique ability to grow bamboo from the ground as part of its attacks. Its bodily fluids can trigger explosive bamboo growth, which it uses to impale intruders with freshly-grown stalks.

The genus Rathalos was first established in 2021 and 2022 by Lin and Li, named after the iconic fire-breathing wyvern from the main Monster Hunter series. Before the discovery of R. inagami, the genus only contained two known species, both from China: Rathalos treecko and Rathalos xiushanensis.

The discovery of R. inagami in Java, Indonesia marks the first time any spider from the genus Rathalos, and in fact the entire ghost spider family Anyphaenidae, has been recorded in Southeast Asia. This makes the find significant not just for Monster Hunter fans, but also for the scientific community studying spider biodiversity in the region.

This is not the first time a spider has been named after a Monster Hunter creature. A species of blind cave spider was previously named after Khezu, another monster from the series known for its pale, eyeless appearance. Much like the cave-dwelling Khezu, that spider also lives in dark underground environments.