Cerbalus aravaensis
| Cerbalus aravaensis | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Family: | Sparassidae |
| Genus: | Cerbalus |
| Species: | C. aravaensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Cerbalus aravaensis Levy, 2007 |
|
Cerbalus aravaensis is a huntsman spider found in the southern Arava Valley of Israel and Jordan.[1] The species was first described by Gorshom Levy of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2007,[1][2] though news agencies later reported it in 2010 as a new discovery (with a slightly different spelling) by a team of biologists from the University of Haifa.[3][4] The spider has a leg span of 14 centimetres (5.5 in), making it the largest member of the Sparassidae family in the Middle East.[1] Males have a body length of 18.5–24.0 millimetres (0.73–0.94 in), while females' body length is 22.0–26.5 millimetres (0.87–1.04 in).[1]
Cerbalus aravaensis lives in sand dunes, and partly stable sands at the edge of salt marshes.[1] It is nocturnal and is most active in the hotter summer months.[3] It constructs underground dens with hinged, trap-door like operculum made of sand and glue, in order to disguise the entrance from predators.[3][1]
The Sands of Samar, the last remaining sand dunes in the southern Arava region of Israel and home to Cerbalus aravaensis, are disappearing. The sands once covered as many as 7 km2 (2.7 sq mi), but now cover less than 3 km2 (1.2 sq mi) due to re-zoning of areas for agriculture and sand quarries. Mining projects on the sands are intended to be renewed in the near future and thus the habitat's future is uncertain.[4] Should the Sands of Samar be destroyed, it is unlikely that Cerbalus aravaensis would survive.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Levy, Gershom (15 August 2007). "Calommata (Atypidae) and new spider species (Araneae) from Israel". Zootaxa (Auckland, New Zealand: Magnolia Press) 1551: 1–30. ISSN 1175-5334. OCLC 231969221.
- ^ Platnick, Norman I. (10 December 2011). "Fam. Sparassidae". The World Spider Catalog, Version 12.5. New York, NY, USA: American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.iz.0001. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Haifa U discovers new spider species". Israel 21c. January 14, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
- ^ a b "New Spider Species Is Largest of Its Type in Middle East". Science Daily. January 12, 2010. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
External links
- "Giant Spider Species Discovered in Middle Eastern Sand Dunes". Wired Science. January 11, 2010.
- "Big Spider Discovered in Disappearing Sand Dunes". LiveScience. January 12, 2010.
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