Two types of spiders found in southern Taiwan’s Hengchun Peninsula have been identified as new species after years of analysis and cross-checking, the Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute said on Thursday.
The new species are Idioctis parilarilao, also known as the parilarilao trapdoor spider, and Hogna arborea, or the Taiwanese tree-dwelling wolf spider, the institute said in a statement.
The discoveries came after years of effort by a research team consisting of personnel from the institute, National Taiwan Normal University, National Chung Hsing University and international experts, the institute said.
Photo courtesy of Lo Ying-yuan via CNA
It did not specify when the spiders were first found, but said it took years of collecting specimens, reviewing published studies and DNA time series analyses, and comparing foreign samples to confirm the Parilarilao trapdoor spiders as a new species.
Ultimately, researchers determined that parilarilao trapdoor spiders belong to the family Barychelidae, and that Taiwan is the northernmost habitat of spiders in this family.
Parilarilao trapdoor spiders build nests with trap doors and live in intertidal zones, meaning they are underwater at high tide but exposed during low tide, the institute said.
Their nests are closed by watertight trap doors to ensure that there is enough air and their homes are not flooded or washed away at high tide, and the spiders slightly open the trap doors at low tide and attack prey that go past their nests.
The new species was named after the indigenous name for the area, with parilarilao meaning “living at the end of Taiwan” in the Paiwan language, the institute said.
The other species, Hogna arborea, was determined to belong to the family Lycosidae, and according to the institute, wolf spiders in this family often dwell in grasslands, farmland or meadows.
Researchers found wolf spiders living in treeholes in recent years in several areas of eastern and southern Taiwan, including Hengchun in the south and Yilan and Hualien counties in the east, and that these spiders were later confirmed to be a new species, the institute said.
The new species was named Hogna arborea, with hogna meaning “wolf spider” and arborea meaning “living on trees,” the institute said.
According to the institute, Taiwanese tree-dwelling wolf spiders have a body size of more than 2cm and are considered large compared with most Taiwanese wolf spiders.
Taiwan has more than 20 wolf spider species, the institute said.
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
COMMUNITY SPIRIT: As authorities were busy with post-typhoon cleanups elsewhere, residents cleaned fallen leaves and cut small fallen trees blocking the hiking trails All hiking trails damaged by Typhoon Kong-rey have been repaired and has reopened for people who want a refreshing hike in Taipei during the Lunar New Year holiday, a city official said. The Taipei Basin is known for its easily accessible hiking trails. It has more than 130 trails combined into the 92km-long Taipei Grand Trail, which was divided into seven major routes when it was launched by the Taipei City Government in 2018. Last year, a part of the sixth route of the Grand Trail collapsed due to Typhoon Kong-rey, which hit Taiwan in October. The damaged section belongs to one
RSS