Hotwheels sisyphus is a species of Chinese ground spiders (family Gnaphosidae). It is the only species in the genus Hotwheels.[1] It was first described by Bo Liu and Feng Zhang, both from Hebei University, in 2024,[2] and has only been found in China.[1]
The genus name is derived from Hot Wheels, an American brand of scale model cars. The long coiled embolus of the palpal bulb of this new genus reminded the authors of a looping Hot Wheels track.
The species is named for Sisyphus, a king from Greek mythology, who is punished by the gods for cheating death. For this, the gods sentenced him to an eternity of rolling a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back down. The cyclical nature of his punishment reminded the authors of the circular copulatory tube of the spider.