"The Aulonia albimana, a member of the wolf spider family with orange legs, was found on the Isle of Wight in a spot grazed by a flock of Hebridean sheep. It previously had no common name but has been called the white-knuckled wolf spider because of the distinctive pale knuckles on its palps (the small leg-like appendages either side of the mouth) and the last-minute drama involved in finding it."
"Lyons said they had just four hours at the site before their boat was due to pick them up. I found the first one with just nine minutes to go, and the second one in the last minute, he said. I've seen 559 species of spider in the British Isles and this one was by far the most exciting find."
"Wolf spiders of which there are about 38 species in the UK take their name from their agile hunting skills, which involve chasing prey along the ground and then pouncing like a wolf. However, the hunting techniques of the diminutive Aulonia albimana adults' body length typically measures 3.8-4.4mm remain something of a mystery, as the species also spins a flimsy web."
Aulonia albimana, a small wolf spider with orange legs and pale palps, has been rediscovered on the Isle of Wight at a remote nature reserve accessible only by boat. Entomologists Mark Telfer and Graeme Lyons located the species more than a mile from its former colony during a National Trust survey. The spider was last recorded in the UK in 1985 and had no common name before being nicknamed the white-knuckled wolf spider. Adults measure about 3.8–4.4 mm and exhibit both agile hunting and the puzzling behaviour of spinning a flimsy web. Habitat restoration through Hebridean sheep grazing created the short, patchy turf the species favours.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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