Two New Species Of Pirate Spiders, Known For Murdering Other Spiders And Taking Over Their Webs, Were Discovered On A Remote Island In The South Atlantic

“We were carrying out a project to improve the DNA reference library for St. Helena so that the people of the island can monitor their biodiversity more easily,” explained Ben Price, a co-author of the study and the Senior Curator in Charge of Small Orders at the Natural History Museum.

“This has been using a mix of museum specimens and freshly collected ones to help fill gaps in our knowledge.”

The museum specimens were from the National History Museum in London and the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Belgium. A closer examination of the spiders revealed that they were of different species.

The first new species was named Ero lizae. It had two spiky structures at the back of its body and was colored brown with black and white splotches.

Its name was chosen in honor of Liza Fowler, a conservationist who has worked on the island for years.

The second species, Ero natashae, was significantly smaller but shared a similar coloration. It was also named after a local conversationist, Natasha Stevens. Hopefully, future research will help them continue to thrive on the island.