A furniture shop owner from Greater Kaohsiung has cast new light on a rare arachnid known as the “ogre-faced spider.”
Hsu Kun-chin (許坤金) published his findings on the shedding and mating processes of the Deinopis spider genus in last month’s edition of the 2011 Nature Conservation Quarterly.
His publication in a magazine run by the Executive Yuan’s Endemic Species Research Institute has earned him tremendous feedback.
Photo provided courtesy of Hsu Kun-chin
Taking time out from manning his shop, Hsu joined the Kaohsiung Natural Observation Association (NOA) because of his fascination with gardening and frequently went with other like-minded friends on field trips to take pictures of ecological habitats.
During an observation trip in May 2008, he happened upon a strange type of spider in the mountains around the former Liouguei Township (六龜) that NOA chairman Chen Jen-jie (陳仁杰) later said belonged to the rare Deinopis spider genus.
The Deinopidae family consists of stick-like elongated spiders that weave unusual webs they suspend between their front legs. They then stretch the web to two or three times its initial length and cast it onto their prey, entangling it in their web.
The practice has also earned it the nickname “net-casting spider.”
Hsu said the Deinopis genus of the Deinopidae family is quite rare, both in Taiwan and abroad.
Because Deinopis are nocturnal and brown-colored, they are extremely difficult to notice when they hide amid trees in daytime, Hsu said, adding that to study the unique habits of the Deinopis more closely, he had visited the mountains 23 times.
“Though I often encountered boars and poisonous snakes on those trips, I never wavered from my goal,” Hsu said, adding that he had also brought some Deinopis spiders back home to keep.
The spiders’ nocturnal habits initially created problems for Hsu’s family, but they eventually came to support his passion after seeing how engrossed he was in his research.
During his research, Hsu discovered that the shedding process of the Deinopis did not match the description in textbooks.
Even more rare, Hsu managed to take pictures of the male Deinopis weaving a sperm web, which is used for mating.
The Deinopis’ mysterious comings and goings, as well as its particular way of hunting, are a fascinating subject, Hsu said, adding that he hoped that by sharing his observations with the public, more people would develop an interest in, and a desire to protect, the rare arachnid.
TRANSLATED BY JAKE CHUNG, STAFF WRITER
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
RSS