Slovenian Expedition Uncovers Four New Spider Species in Madagascar
An expedition led by Slovenian scientists has discovered four new species of spiders in Madagascar, an island renowned for its rich biodiversity. All four spiders belong to the genus Dolomedes, reports The Slovenian Times.
Biologist Matjaž Kuntner from the National Institute of Biology (NIB) of Slovenia and Kuang-Ping Yu, a PhD student from NIB and the University of Ljubljana, described the new spiders in a paper published in the scientific journal PeerJ.
The new species are named Dolomedes gregoric, Dolomedes bedjanic, Dolomedes hydatostella, and Dolomedes rotundus. They are named in honour of colleagues Matjaž Bedjanic from NIB and Matjaž Gregoric from the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU) - two key figures who contributed to the expedition's success.
Describing the new spiders, Kuntner noted that they are relatively large and charismatic, and unlike most spiders, they inhabit freshwater environments. Similar spiders are quite common in Slovenia and other European countries, but much less is known about their diversity in some other parts of the world, especially in tropical regions. Therefore, the discovery of four new species in Madagascar was quite unexpected.
"If we were conducting research in Slovenia, we wouldn't expect such a high number of new species. But in Madagascar, we were exploring an area about which we know relatively little about its fauna and flora, and in such cases, we discover more," the scientist remarked.
Yu and Kuntner developed an integrative taxonomy model, which considers morphological, molecular, and ecological differences within and between species. Using it, they confirmed their initial findings, identifying four previously unknown species of Madagascan fishing spiders in addition to one already known.
It's worth noting that the Slovenian National Institute of Biology has been actively researching spiders for some time, and Madagascar is one of the hotspots of biodiversity where new species are regularly discovered.
Kuntner told the Slovenian Press Agency that he and Gregoric had been to Madagascar several times in the past to study and discover new species.
"Gregoric was very familiar with this environment. Together with Bedjanic, they were co-organizers of this expedition and played a key role in its success both on-site and during the preparation stage."
NIB has been actively involved in spider research for some time, and Madagascar is one of the hotspots of biodiversity where new species are regularly discovered.