"The brown arachnids are the size of a quarter. "While there are over 50,000 species of spiders worldwide, there are probably hundreds of thousands left to be discovered, even along the coast where new spider species may be hiding just underfoot of California beachgoers," Jason Bond, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and the study's senior author, said in a statement."
"To identify the new spider, the UC Davis team first looked at the genomic DNA, morphology and distribution of Aptostichus simus - the previously known trapdoor spider in California. Sure enough, the team determined it was a so-called "cryptic" species, or one of two species that look the same but differ genetically. "This study will inform future efforts to re-evaluate species boundaries in taxa that may be harboring cryptic diversity," the researchers wrote."
Aptostichus ramirezae is a newly recognized trapdoor spider inhabiting coastal sand dunes from Monterey to northern Baja California. Genomic DNA, morphology and distribution analyses separated Aptostichus ramirezae from the previously grouped Aptostichus simus, revealing cryptic species diversity. These brown, quarter-sized arachnids build silk-lined underground burrows and emerge to ambush prey. The species name honors arachnologist Martina Giselle Ramirez. Both Aptostichus ramirezae and Aptostichus simus are dune specialists with narrow ranges. Dune habitats face threats such as sea-level rise and development, creating conservation concerns for these localized trapdoor spiders.
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