MELBOURNE, Apr 11: Scientists have discovered 50 new species of arachnids in Australia including a peacock spider which shows ‘wonderful courtship behaviour like dancing’.
The new arachnids include a brush-footed trap-door spider, a large black creature that looks like a funnel web with the added power of being able to walk up glass doors, a new species of swift spider, with fuzzy black and white front legs and several new species of ant spider, said researchers University of Queensland in Australia.
The research expedition was conducted on Quinkan country, near Cooktown, which is currently being considered for national heritage listing, ‘The Guardian’ reported.
The ecological richness of the area, combined with a successful wet season which made the area green and thriving, meant researchers were discovering new species every day, said Barbara Baehr, a research biologist at the University of Queensland.
Researchers are now in the process of describing a number of spiders for formal scientific classification. (AGENCIES)
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