‘White-knuckled wolf spider’ thought lost is rediscovered on Isle of Wight | Spiders

A tiny spider thought to be gone forever in England has been rediscovered in a remote part of a nature reserve accessible only by boat.

Aulonia albimana, An orange-legged member of the wolf spider family was found in a spot grazed by a flock of Hebridean sheep on the Isle of Wight.

It did not previously have a common name but was named the white-knuckled wolf spider because of the distinctive pale “knuckles” on its palps (small leg-like extensions on either side of the mouth) and the last-minute drama involved in finding it.

It was rediscovered more than a mile from its former colony in the National Trust. Newtown national nature reserve by entomologists Mark Telfer and Graeme Lyons. Telfer, who conducted the research, said, “This is one of the unforgettable discoveries. It is exciting to find a species that was thought to have been lost for 40 years.”

Lyons said they only had four hours in the area before their boat picked them up. “I found the first one with only nine minutes left and the second one at the last minute,” he said. “I saw 559 species of spiders in the British Isles and this was by far the most exciting discovery.”

Wolf spiders, of which there are around 38 species in the UK, get their name from their agile hunting skills, which involve chasing prey on the ground and then attacking like a wolf.

However, hunting techniques of tiny species Aulonia albimana The body length of adults is usually 3.8-4.4 mm. This species also remains a mystery because it spins a flimsy web. The spider was last recorded in England in 1985.

The area they are in is overgrown, but has been restored by the National Trust, with Hebridean sheep trampling the vegetation to maintain the short, open grass, creating exactly the kind of patchy, sunny ground the spider prefers.

Conservation officer Helen Smith British Society of ArachnologyHe said: “The extraordinary discovery of this graceful little spider on the Isle of Wight is one of Britain’s century’s rediscoveries of lost species.

“It is increasingly likely that it will join the country’s sad list of extinct species, due to its repeated failure to be found in its former areas where its open habitat has been lost.”

The next task is to determine the full extent of the population and determine the conditions it needs to expand its range and secure its future.

Paul Davies, countryside manager for the National Trust on the Isle of Wight, said: “We have been managing these rare limestone grasslands for many years to encourage a rich diversity of wildlife. It is incredibly rewarding to see this work rewarded by the return of such a rare species.”