August 21, 2012

NEW SPIDER FAMILY DISCOVERED FROM CAVES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST




A team of scientists and cave conservationists discovered a relatively huge, unique spider in caves and forests of the Pacific Northwest. The novel combination of evolutionary features in this spider, Trogloraptor, compelled them to recognize a new family. A study of the new family and its evolutionary and conservation significance was published in the open access journal ZooKeys.