Giant Crab Spider: Previously Unknown Species Discovered at Amazon Rainforest

A new spider species, previously unknown to science, was discovered in the Amazon Rainforest, particularly within the territory of Ecuador. The species belong to the spider family Sparassidae, where giant crab spiders or huntsman spiders belong to. This is according to a new study, wherein scientists describe the orange spider to have eight legs and fangs.

While there are thousands of known spider species worldwide, including some that can jump and camouflage, it is believed that there are still some arachnids in the wild waiting to be discovered. Regardless, the presence of the new giant crab spider species highlights the continued biodiversity in the Amazon, amid the threats of climate change, deforestation, and among others.

New Giant Crab Spider Species

In the study published in the journal Ecology and Evolution on July 6, researchers from Ecuador described a new giant crab spider species belonging to the genus Sadala. The creature was found and collected in the Lowland Evergreen area of the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, located in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve within the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador.

Females belonging to the new Sadala species have resemblance with S. punicea and S. nanay for having a diamond-shaped posterior. The latest findings increase the total number of known species of the said genus to 10. The new research also highlights the survival of the Amazon in South America, especially the biodiversity of spiders.

For almost 30 years, the said research station has been one of the protectors of the world's most biodiverse tropical forests, according to one of the study's authors, Diego Cisneros-Heredia, as cited by Newsweek. The recent discovery of the new spider is only part of one of many studies that the research team is carrying out to show the wide diversity of the animals in the region, the author adds.

How Many Spider Species Are There?

It is hard to determine the exact number of spider species in the world (both described and unknown). However, in April 2022, the Natural History Museum of Bern in Switzerland reported that scientists have identified the 50,000^th spider species on Earth, as cited by Smithsonian Magazine. Yet, thousands of related species are waiting to become known and included in our taxonomic database, the report adds.

In general, spiders are arachnids, a class in the Animal Kingdom consisting of arthropods whose members also include mites, scorpions, and ticks. From common house spiders, to the goliath birdeater spiders, and false widow spiders, these animals can be deadly as some possess natural venom that can kill even large mammals such as humans when bitten.

In the United States, spider bites lead to less than three deaths per year and most victims are children, according to the Boston Children's Hospital and the website MSD Manuals. With this, experts assert that deaths from untreated spider bites are still rare but they do occur.