All Articles Tagged As: arachnids

New spider species discovered by University of Haifa scientists (1/12/2010)

A new and previously unknown species of spider has been discovered in the dune of the Sands of Samar in the southern Arava region by a team of scientists from the Department of Biology in the University of Haifa-Oranim. Unfortunately, however, its habitat is endangered. "The discovery of this new spider illustrates our obligation to preserve the dune," says Dr. Shanas, who headed the team of scientists. ...> Full Article

Male Australian redback spiders employ courtship strategies to preserve their life (10/26/2009)

New research shows that male suitors of a female cannibalistic spider risk facing a premature death unless they perform an adequate courtship lasting a minimum of 100 minutes. Further, the research shows that "sneaker" males can slip by and mate successfully on the courtship efforts of the hard-working first suitor. ...> Full Article

Scientists discover largest orb-weaving spider (10/23/2009)

Researchers have discovered a new, giant Nephila species (golden orb weaver spider) from Africa and Madagascar. They also reconstructed size evolution in the family Nephilidae to show that this new species, on average, is the largest orb weaver known. Only the females are giants with a body length of 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) and a leg span of 4-5 inches (10-12 centimeters); the males are tiny by comparison. ...> Full Article

Herbivory discovered in a spider (10/14/2009)

There are approximately 40,000 species of spiders in the world, all of which have been thought to be strict predators that feed on insects or other animals. Now, scientists have found that a small Central American jumping spider has a uniquely different diet: the species Bagheera kiplingi feeds predominantly on plant food. ...> Full Article

Nepotism has its benefits when it comes to survival (10/1/2009)

While nepotism may have negative connotations in politics and the workplace, being surrounded by your relatives does lead to better group dynamics and more cooperation in some animals. That seems to be the case for spiders, according to research published in the open-access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology. In the study, researchers found that Stegodyphus tentoriicola spiders are far more efficient at foraging for food and cooperate better when they're related to each other. ...> Full Article

Tracing a spidery family tree (9/26/2007)

Insect biologists research has taken her from Scotland to Hawaii to Berkeley. ...> Full Article