A Haunting Discovery Online Pl

Golden silk spider new Blue Diamond

Nephila

komaci

The discovery of this new species was long and complicated. First, in 2000, a researcher (called Kuntner) and his companions found two copies of a spider who did not know, displayed in a museum in South Africa. Later in 2003, found another copy, this time preserved in a museum in Austria, where it was confirmed that a previously unknown species.

a result of these two findings, began looking for a live specimen, without success. It was believed extinct until a South African entomologist (entomology: scientific study of insects) found 3 of these spiders live in an elephant park. For this discovery is known that the species still exists, but is highly threatened. He lives in South Africa and Madagascar, although in the latter place have not found any alive: it is known that there have been these spiders in Madagascar because the museum of Austria came from this area.

This spider belongs to the genus Nephila. The first species of this genus was discovered and named by Linnaeus in 1767. The species of which we speak now, komaci Nephila is the first to be discovered since 1879, and also the largest.

Fact: in the genus Nephila (also called golden silk spider) had described 150 species since 1767. The discoverer of this new spider, Kuntner, reduced these 150 species to 15, after demonstrating that most of the specimens that were preserved in museums were of the same species.

About this spider: females are much larger than males and can grow to more than 12 inches, although his body measures just 3.8 centimeters. Males are 5 times lower (with the normal size of a spider). His canvases are round and golden, and can exceed one meter in diameter.

Fact: the large size of females is an evolutionary change: thus produce more offspring and promote the survival of the species. In the pictures you see the size difference between male and female, in other species of Nephila. On the left, the red arrow points to a male, a red clam under the body of the female. And right, we see a picture one female and one male.