Rediscovery of Fazilde’s trapdoor spider after 92 years in Portugal

The elusive trapped spider has been rediscovered in a small village in Portugal after 92 years of disappearance.

Fazilde’s Trapdoor Spider (Nemesia berlandi) was first described in 1931 after an entomologist discovered a pair of females just outside the small village of Fajilde in northern Portugal. According to two specimens collected at the time, the female has a dark brown body and is thought to be about 2.2 centimeters in length at most.

This species belongs to a family of trapdoor spiders called Arachnidae, whose members live in burrows with hinged doors to catch unsuspecting prey. Although males have not been observed, scientists believe they behave similarly to related spiders, performing rhythmic tap dances on female doorsteps to attract mates.

Since its discovery, Fazilde’s trapped spider appears to have disappeared, and the species was considered lost to science.

“We tend to miss them because they’re so cryptic. They have trapdoors that look exactly like the background they have in the area, including leaves and moss,” he says. Sergio Enriquez At the Indianapolis Zoo in Indiana.

In 2011, Enriquez and his colleagues discovered a series of horizontal burrows around Fazilde and suggested that: N. Berlandi It may be the only spider among spiders that does not grow vertically.

After a two-year expedition in the Fazilde forest area, the team finally discovered this reclusive spider for the first time in 92 years.

They stumble upon a horizontal burrow and find a deep brown female spider and her children. This female matched the first description of Fazilde’s trapdoor spider, described in 1931.

“This discovery was like winning the lottery while being struck by lightning,” Enriquez said.

To confirm that it really was N. BerlandiThe research team analyzed its DNA samples and found that it was different from other known trapdoor species.

Enriquez and his colleagues hope the rediscovery will spur efforts to protect the spider, which lives in areas of the country threatened by wildfires and flooding.