A colorful species of spider that was previously unknown to science has been discovered in the Amazon Rainforest.
Scientists found the new species of giant crab spider at a research station located in the heart of the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, northern Ecuador. A study has described the find in the journal Ecology and Evolution.
This swath of tropical rainforest, which forms part of the upper Amazon Basin, is one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet.
"We discovered this new species during one of the field trips of my Tropical Ecology course to the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, which is part of the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve," an author of the study Diego Cisneros-Heredia said in a statement. He is with the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) and the National Institute of Biodiversity (INABIO) in Ecuador.
"For nearly 30 years, this station has been one of the guardians of the most biodiverse tropical forests in the world. The discovery of the new spider... is one of several studies that we are carrying out to reveal the immense diversity of these animals in the Ecuadorian Amazon," Cisneros-Heredia said.
The newly described spider belongs to the genus (group of species) Sadala. In turn, these spiders, many of which are large in size, form part of the larger spider family Sparassidae—commonly known as huntsman spiders or giant crab spiders.
The latter name is a reference to the position these spiders adopt when standing with their legs extended to the sides in a crab-like manner.
Cisneros-Heredia and his USFQ/INABIO colleague Pedro Peñaherrera-R. decided to name the new species Sadala rauli in honor of the latter's grandfather—Raúl Peñaherrera de la Cadena.
The discovery of this species is the first record of a spider from the Sadala genus in Ecuador. Sadala spiders have previously been documented in several locations across Central and South America, from Panama to central-west Brazil.
The newly identified spider is only known from female specimens documented by the researchers. These bear a resemblance to two species of Sadala spider found in Peru but can be differentiated by the characteristics of the reproductive system.
The specimens documented so far are orange in color with brown markings on some parts of the body, such as the ends of the legs.
The researchers say Sadala rauli is nocturnal and hunts insects that it actively stalks among vegetation around 3 to 7 feet above the ground. Unlike many other spiders, this species does not spin webs to capture prey.
The discovery of the latest species speaks to the great diversity of spiders found in the tropical regions of the Americas, the researchers said.
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