A tiny spider thought to be extinct in the UK has been rediscovered on the Isle of Wight after 40 years.
The Aulonia albimana, now dubbed the white-knuckled wolf spider for the pale joints on its palps, was found by entomologists Mark Telfer and Graeme Lyons at the National Trust’s Newtown nature reserve, a site only reachable by boat.
The spider, last recorded in 1985, was discovered just minutes before the researchers’ boat was due to leave. “To find a species thought lost for 40 years is thrilling,” said Telfer.
The rediscovery came after conservation efforts restored the spider’s habitat using Hebridean sheep to graze overgrown grassland, recreating the open, sunlit terrain it needs to thrive.
Helen Smith of the British Arachnological Society hailed the find as “one of Britain’s lost species rediscoveries of the century.”
Conservationists will now study the size of the population and how to ensure the rare spider’s long-term survival.
