A two-year study into Australian wishbone spiders that saw researchers travel thousands of kilometres across eastern Australia to collect specimens has resulted in the discovery of 55 new species, making the Aname genus one of the most diverse and widespread groups of arachnids in the country.
The groundbreaking research into these burrowing spiders, which are found throughout dry and tropical regions of Australia, was the result of a collaboration between The University of Western Australia and Queensland Museum and the Western Australian Museums, and was published in the European Journal of Taxonomy.
Lead author Dr Jeremy Wilson, participating as part of a postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Australian Biological Resources Study’s National Taxonomy Research Grants Scheme, said the wishbone species were ‘mygalomorph spiders’, a group that also includes trapdoor spiders, tarantulas and funnel-webs.
“The genus Aname contains spider species that are often strikingly beautiful, with iridescent bronze, gold or silver hairs covering parts of their body,” Dr Wilson said.
“They make silk-lined burrows in the ground that can be quite deep, and that often have a hidden secondary entrance that probably functions as an ‘escape chute’ to help them avoid predators and other threats.”
