A strange and giant new species of spider, an arthropod they have named Euoplos dignitas, has been identified in the Brigalow Belt, a wide strip of wooded grassland that stretches between the tropical forests of the coast and the interior of Queensland (Australia). ). The discovery is the fruit of the work of several members of the Queensland Museum Collections and Research Centre.
According to the study, published in the Journal of Arachnology, Euoplos dignitas is a huge trapdoor spider that lives in open woodland habitats and builds its burrows in the black soils of central Queensland. Although it retains poison, it is considered to be harmless to the human species.
Trapdoor spiders are named for the way they hunt: they burrow into the ground for camouflage, leaping at any approaching prey at high speed, as if emerging from an underground trapdoor. But its way of acting is not the only striking thing about this species, which spends the first five years of its life without leaving its burrow.
The name of this new species is derived from the Latin dignitas meaning dignity or greatness, reflecting the spider’s impressive size and nature, the researchers note. In addition, it pays tribute to the DIG Project, which supported this research that is vital to understanding Queensland’s biodiversity, one of its main challenges.
In their study, the authors recall that the semi-arid forests of the Brigalow Belt were previously found in large areas of eastern Queensland, west of the Great Dividing Range. However, these forests have been changed by human footprints and now include some of Queensland’s most endangered ecological communities.
Despite the delicate situation, the researchers say that this space had received relatively little scientific attention, “with insignificant work in understanding and synthesizing patterns of biodiversity.” For this reason, their objectives included documenting new species, understanding the ecology and conservation status of endemic species, and testing hypotheses about the impacts of past climate change.
Four years ago, they discovered specimens of a previously unknown species of giant trap spider. Intrigued by the find, the researchers conducted this new, years-long field study aimed at finding living examples.
The authors found specimens of this spider near Monto and Eidsvold, which are found in the Brigalow Belt of inland Australia. The team then conducted a taxonomic study of the spider to determine its characteristics. In this case, it stands out for its impressive size and its reserved and shy nature.
