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Scientists have discovered a species of itsy-bitsy spider that is known to live in a single cave in the world
The leaf weavers, about two millimeters, are so named because They make flat and tight canvases. woven to the point that they can be almost opaque.
Marc Milne, an badistant professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Indianapolis, collected the tiny creatures of Stygeon River Cave, in southern Indiana, in October 2016. [19659004] – Marc Milne
"I did not know what the spider was in the beginning," said Milne, a native of Halifax, in a press release about the discovery. "I just thought it was strange that so many people were living in this dark cave without any other kind of spider."
Milne said that he found the characteristic horizontal canvases of this family of spiders (Linyphiidae) woven between rocks in the largest room of the wet and muddy cave, which is located in a park protected state. Flat canvases help spiders catch prey that jump along the ground, such as springtails – arthropods that gush when they are alarmed.
Milne Undertakes to Identify Specimens
"Usually, the way to distinguish spiders is to watch," he told CBC News
. In addition to being the only type of spider in a confined area, another clue was that males and females looked alike; sometimes a pair of mating was found on the same canvas.
The tightly woven horizontal bands like this one are characteristic of the family Linyphiidae spiders (Marc Milne)
They resembled Islandiana cavealis, found in Kentucky, immediately south of l & # 39; Indiana. But while this species has almost nonexistent eyes, this one had well-formed eyes.
"We think that's the only place they live," says Milne.
He named the new species after his scientist, Dr. Julian Lewis, who had shown him the spider for the first time
the 15th species of its kind and the fifth to inhabit cave habitats – it has been more than 30 years since a new species was added to this group.
Milne said that this discovery contradicts the familiar notion that new organisms are found only
On this male specimen of Islandiana lewisi, the eyes can be easily observed, while the similar Islandiana cavealis have eyes almost nonexistent (Marc Milne)
"I think this discovery is important to show students and the general public that we do not know what's in our clbadrooms, what's wrong." 39, there is in our forests. "
Milne said that research like his helps to understand how ecosystems work and how our environments work, and the type of data he collects is used to conservation efforts
"To have an effective conservation policy, the first thing you need is to know what organisms are in this environment," he said. c This knowledge will enable governments to develop better protections for this forest and other forests.
Leaf weavers, also known as dwarf spiders or silver spiders, are probably harmless to humans. But we do not know much about them, like when they reproduce, what is their life cycle and whether they exist or not elsewhere.
The new spider and its bads are described in the open access journal Subterranean Biology. 19659025]
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