New species of hunting spider discovered in Ecuador

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Three researchers discovered the first Taczanowskia onowoka spider in Ecuador. The new arachnid species was collected in a Waorani community in the Curaray river basin, in the Amazonian province of Pastaza. This new spider species is the first in the country’s zoological history to be described exclusively by Ecuadorian scientists.

The spider is part of the Taczanowskia Keyserling group, a genus of the Araneidae family, the third most diverse of all arachnid families. These spiders are found in South America.

The new hunting spider genus is one of the rarest groups of orb-weaving spiders in the Araneidae family. Only 5 species have been described: the T. gustavoi from southern Mexico; T. sextuberculata from southern Brazil and Colombia; T. striata from Brazil and Peru; T. trilobata Simon; and T. mirabilis from northern Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia. Only 17 specimens have been cited in publications, according to the researchers.

The species was named “onowaka,” which refers to its family type. Onowaka means spirit in Wao Tededo, the language of the Waorani people. The name is a tribute to the original Ecuadorian people, who have a strong connection with biodiversity and the Amazon. The name was also chosen because the community supported and authorized the researchers to conduct the study in their territories.

Scientists have found that the Ecuadorian Taczanowskia onowoka has two tubercles on the opisthosoma -similar to the abdomen-, a light-dark coloration pattern in distinctive patches with dark spots clustered around the anterior margin and on the lateral edges. The hunter has small white mushroom-like bundles forming a lattice across the dorsal portion of the opisthosoma, and the first two femora are thick but with no teeth on the edge. These spiders stand on leaves and use their long claws as knives to hunt prey.

The Curaray River basin, where the new species was found, is part of one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the world: the Napo River basin. This basin has “an immense amount of different species of flora and fauna that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet,” according to Ecuador’s Ministry of the Environment.

EcoRegistros website, which compiles data on animal species, reports that there are 20 species of arachnids in Ecuador and 13 forms with particular characteristics which are not considered as species.

Hunting spiders are wandering, nocturnal, of medium or large size and have six eyes. Information on this species, published on the iNaturalist platform, explains that the venom of hunting spiders is harmless to humans. However, the bite is painful and is the equivalent of pricking oneself with a rose thorn.

These spiders are not considered aggressive animals. In general, upon detecting human presence, hunting spiders try to flee or remain motionless in an attempt to go unnoticed.

To date, 22 species of hunting spiders belonging to different families have been described worldwide. More than 7,400 observations were required to find these species.

Spiders, irrespective of their species, feed mainly on insects. However, some large spiders have been observed to eat worms, snails and even small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards, birds and bats. A study conducted by Lund University in Sweden estimates that spiders eat 400 to 800 million metric tons of insects annually. This is equivalent to the annual consumption of meat and fish by humans.