NEW SPECIES OF SPIDER NAMED AFTER DOMINIC MONAGHAN

Dr. Peter Jager announces new spider species discovered during filming of "Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan"

New York - July 30, 2013 - Spider expert at the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany, Dr. Peter Jager, has announced discovery of a previously unknown spider species in Laos during the filming of the adventure-series, Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan. The find has yielded Dominic Monaghan his very own "wild thing," now called, Ctenus monaghani. The new spider species was introduced with its first description, published in the scientific journal, Zootaxa.

"As a lover of all things wild and a fan of spiders, it is a real honor to have such a special creature named after my last name" says Dominic Monaghan. "The fact that it was found in Laos whilst making Wild Things makes it all the more special. Feel free to call me Spiderman!"

Nominated for a Critics' Choice Award for Best Reality series, Wild Things with Dominic Mongahan follows the actor as he takes viewers on heart-pumping adventures to the most remote corners of the globe in search of the biggest, scariest and most exotic animals on the planet. Season one saw him on the hunt for the Giant Huntsman Spider in the caves of Laos, searching for millions of flesh-slicing army ants in the steamy rainforests of Ecuador, and facing off with a deadly scorpion in the arid deserts of Namibia. Filming for season two has begun and will premiere in 2014 on BBC AMERICA.

Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan is a BBC AMERICA original production, produced by Cream Productions and Wildfire Television. Executive Producers are David Brady and Dominic Monaghan for Cream Productions and Philip Clarke for Wildfire Television. Series producer is Marianne Kushmaniuk.

Publication: JÄGER, P. (2013) Ctenus monaghani spec. nov., a nocturnal hunter from the forest floor in Laos (Araneae: Ctenidae) - Zootaxa 3670 (1): 091-093 dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3670.1.9 http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2013/f/z03670p093f.pdf

Senckenberg Research Institute: http://www.senckenberg.de/root/index.php?page_id=5210

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy(R), five Golden Globes(R) and eleven Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on cable and satellite TV in more than 80.4 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.

About Cream Productions

Headquartered in Toronto, Cream Productions was founded in 2004 by David Brady (co-creator, exec producer - Survivorman) and renowned director/producer Christopher Rowley. Cream is internationally known for making some of the world's best factual television. Cream has also recently launched a new drama division. The company is currently at work on several returnable reality series, formats and high-end docudramas.

About Wildfire Television

Wildfire TV is a leading producer of blue-chip history, science and factual series and singles. We have a reputation for delivering ambitious, innovative and high quality programming with little fuss to some of the world's most distinguished broadcasters.