Cerbalus aravaensis

Cerbalus aravaensis is a huntsman spider found in the southern Arava Valley of Israel and Jordan.[1] The species was first described by Gershom Levy of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2007,[1][2] though news agencies later reported it in 2010 as a new discovery (with a slightly different spelling) by a team of biologists from the University of Haifa.[3][4] The spider has a leg span of 14 centimetres (5.5 in), making it the largest member of the family Sparassidae in the Middle East.[1] Males have a body length of 1.85–2.40 centimetres (0.73–0.94 in), while females' body length is 2.20–2.65 centimetres (0.87–1.04 in).[1]

Cerbalus aravaensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Sparassidae
Genus: Cerbalus
Species:
C. aravaensis
Binomial name
Cerbalus aravaensis
Levy, 2007

Habitat

Cerbalus aravaensis lives in sand dunes, and partly stable sands at the edge of salt marshes.[1] It is nocturnal and is most active in the hotter summer months.[3] It constructs underground dens with hinged, trap-door like operculum made of sand and glue, in order to disguise the entrance from predators.[3][1]

Conservation

The Sands of Samar, the last remaining sand dunes in the southern Arava region of Israel and home to Cerbalus aravaensis, are disappearing. The sands once covered as many as 7 km2 (2.7 sq mi), but now cover less than 3 km2 (1.2 sq mi) due to re-zoning of areas for agriculture and sand quarries. Mining projects on the sands are intended to be renewed in the near future and thus the habitat's future is uncertain.[4] Should the Sands of Samar be destroyed, it is unlikely that Cerbalus aravaensis would survive.[3]

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References
  1. Levy, Gershom (15 August 2007). "Calommata (Atypidae) and new spider species (Araneae) from Israel". Zootaxa. Auckland, New Zealand: Magnolia Press. 1551: 1–30. ISSN 1175-5334. OCLC 231969221.
  2. Platnick, Norman I. (10 December 2011). "Fam. Sparassidae". The World Spider Catalog, Version 12.5. New York, NY, USA: American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.iz.0001. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  3. "Haifa U discovers new spider species". Israel 21c. January 14, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
  4. "New Spider Species Is Largest of Its Type in Middle East". Science Daily. January 12, 2010. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
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