Singer David Bowie has had a large, yellow, hairy spider from Malaysia named after him.

A German spider specialist told the Observer newspaper he named the new species after Bowie — whose album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was a huge hit in 1972 — because he wanted to raise awareness about the discovery.

Peter Jaeger, who has found 200 new species of arachnids in a decade, says he's named it Heteropoda davidbowie.

Jaeger says most of the species he's uncovered are endangered.

"It is working against time," he said. "We are also quickly losing genetic resources that have evolved over more than 300 million years."

Bowie, who also embarked on a concert circuit in 1987 called the Glass Spider Tour, has yet to react to the news.

The 62-year-old performer — whose numerous hits include Fame, Starman, Heroes, Absolute Beginners and Modern Love — has sold more than 130 million albums over his career.