Spider-legged Blade turns out to new families

Brent McGregor researchers found similar hooks or claws on the legs, folding knife allegedly used to catch flying insects.

A group of cave explorers and scientists reported finding a new kind of spiders in caves in Southern Oregon, United States. However, the more special from these findings, the spider was not simply a new species, but also the type that do not belong to the family of spiders known. That is, this type of family (family) is completely new.

There are only two other spider family discovered since 1990 from around 111 spider families are known. And, this is the first found in North America since 1890, said researcher Charles Griswold of the California Academy of Sciences.

So far, the family of spiders that is found only consists of one species, which are given by researchers named Trogloraptor marchingtoni. Her last name is taken from Neil, a member of Marchington Western Cave Conservancy, who first discovered the spiders. While the genus name, Trogloraptor, means "robber or predators of the cave."

This name is considered appropriate because researchers found similar hooks or claws on the legs, folding knife allegedly used to catch flying insects. With legs terlentang, this spider can reach a length of up to 8 cm.

"When you're in a dark cave, and there's only ray of light in your head, they would appear to be much larger. Sometimes we were surprised to see them suspended with jaringnya, "Griswold said.

Griswold and his colleagues suspect that the spider webs hang with a simple life, and waiting for prey to pass to diterkam with bercakarnya feet. However, specimens preserved in the lab has not been willing to eat. "It seems they are very shy," says Griswold.

These spiders have poisonous glands as well, although there is no evidence that it is harmful to humans.

Griswold said, this discovery could help explain the existence of the legend about giant spiders that live in caves in the area. There are other species which allegedly has not been found, bearing in mind the many caves in the Western United States is a little new to learn.

From the side of science, the discovery of a new family as it became a historic moment. "For researchers or spider this discovery as found arachnologists dinosaur new types in the field of paleontology," said a spider expert, Norman Platnick, of the American Museum of natural history.

Another unusual thing about these spiders is that it has two rows of teeth or serrula. "I've never seen any other spider with such serrula," said Platnick.

When first discovered, this spider brown recluse, thought to be the name of a type of poisonous spiders. However, a more detailed inspection reveals that these findings are unique and, after two years of research, determined that this is a new kind of family. The research results were published on August 17, 2012 in the journal ZooKeys.