A tiny spider believed extinct in the UK has been rediscovered on the Isle of Wight, delighting conservationists.
The Aulonia albimana, now dubbed the white-knuckled wolf spider for its pale leg joints, was found at the National Trust’s Newtown nature reserve, an isolated site accessible only by boat. The species had not been seen since 1985.
Entomologists Mark Telfer and Graeme Lyons made the discovery just minutes before their boat was due to leave. “To find a species thought lost for 40 years is thrilling,” Telfer said.
Wolf spiders are agile ground hunters, though Aulonia albimana also spins a delicate web, making its behaviour unusual. The site’s restoration — using Hebridean sheep to keep vegetation low — helped recreate the sunlit, patchy grassland the spider needs.
Helen Smith of the British Arachnological Society called the find “one of Britain’s lost species rediscoveries of the century.” Conservationists now aim to assess the population and protect its habitat.
