This spider is a magnificent specimen. Rusty red and with stripes at the base of the little legs, which are more like legs than something cute. Researchers have named the newly discovered spider species Euoplos dignitas. The name derives from the Latin “dignitas,” meaning “dignity,” and reflects “the spider’s impressive size and nature,” according to a statement from the Queensland Museum Network.
The researchers have not commented on the exact size of the newly discovered species, writes NBC News. Trapdoor spiders can commonly grow up to four centimeters. The hairy tropical spiders live in an underground burrow. And they can live a long time: a well-known specimen lived to 43 years.
The newly discovered Euoplos dignitas only occurs in the Brigalow Belt in Central Queensland, writes the Queensland Museum on Instagram. There, the museum is happy about the newly discovered species and shares photos of a male and a female. The female is darker and stockier in shape.
But the joy of a newly discovered species is immediately mixed with concern for its future. Spiders of the species Euoplos dignitas live in open forest areas and make their burrows in the black soil of central Queensland, according to the report.
Unfortunately, a large part of this habitat has been lost through deforestation. According to researchers, the background to this is agricultural use, as reported by CNN. According to researchers, the rare species must be protected. The Queensland Museum announced on Instagram that the Euoplos dignitas is probably one of the endangered species – and so soon after its discovery.
Sources: Instagram, CNN, NBC News, Queensland Museum,
