A tiny spider thought to have vanished for ever from the UK has been rediscovered on a remote area of a nature reserve accessible only by boat.<\/p>\n
The Aulonia albimana<\/a>,<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n It previously had no common name but has been called the white-knuckled wolf spider because of the distinctive pale \u201cknuckles\u201d on its palps (the small leg-like appendages either side of the mouth) and the last-minute drama involved in finding it.<\/p>\n It was rediscovered more than a mile from its former colony at the National Trust\u2019s Newtown national nature reserve <\/a>by the entomologists Mark Telfer and Graeme Lyons. Telfer, who led the survey, said: \u201cThis is one of those unforgettable discoveries. To find a species thought lost for 40 years is thrilling.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyons said they had just four hours at the site before their boat was due to pick them up. \u201cI found the first one with just nine minutes to go, and the second one in the last minute,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen 559 species of spider in the British Isles and this one was by far the most exciting find.\u201d<\/p>\n Wolf spiders \u2013 of which there are about 38 species in the UK \u2013 take their name from their agile hunting skills, which involve chasing prey along the ground and then pouncing like a wolf.<\/p>\n However, the hunting techniques of the diminutive Aulonia albimana \u2013 adults\u2019 body length typically measures 3.8-4.4mm \u2013 remain something of a mystery, as the species also spins a flimsy web. The spider was last recorded in the UK in 1985.<\/p>\n The site where they were found had become overgrown but was restored by the National Trust with the Hebridean sheep, which chew through vegetation to maintain short, open turf, creating exactly the kind of patchy, sunlit ground the spider favours.<\/p>\n Graeme Lyons and Mark Telfer found the spider at Newton national nature reserve. Photograph: Graeme Lyons<\/p>\n Helen Smith, the conservation officer for the British Arachnological Society<\/a>, said: \u201cThe remarkable discovery of this dapper little spider on the Isle of Wight is one of Britain\u2019s lost species rediscoveries of the century.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n The planet’s most important stories. Get all the week’s environment news – the good, the bad and the essential<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n \u201cWith repeated failure to find it at its former sites, where its open habitat has been lost, it seemed increasingly likely that it had joined the country\u2019s sad list of extinct species.\u201d<\/p>\n The next task is to establish the full extent of the population and determine the conditions it needs to expand its range and secure its future.<\/p>\n