New Wolf Spiders Discovered on the Island of St. Helena

Scientists have made an exciting discovery on the island of Saint Helena – a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. On this remote volcanic tropical island, they have discovered no fewer than three new species of spider! A collaborative research project that included scientists from the Arachnology Research Association in London, as well as experts from Cuba, Belgium, Russia, the IUCN, and St Helena National Trust, have recently published their findings.

The three new species are all wolf spiders and have been allocated the scientific names Molearachne sanctaehelenae, Dolocosa joshuai, and Hogna veseyensis.

Why Finding Wolf Spiders on St Helena Is Important

St Helena was already home to 502 species of wolf spiders that exist nowhere else in the world. This is because the island contains many unique habitats that are not found elsewhere.

The newly discovered Molearachne sanctaehelenae builds unique mounds to live in. Also, two of the new species live in the island’s ‘cloud forest’ ecosystem. Cloud forests are rare dense forests on steep slopes in tropical or subtropical locations. The atmospheric conditions are such that they have a constant cloud cover. The habitat is under threat meaning that it is a race against time to protect them. These spiders may already be endangered.

Why Are They Called Wolf Spiders?

Wolf spiders are a group of carnivorous spiders. Most of them do not spin webs to trap prey. Instead, they hunt in a very similar way to a wolf – hence the name!

These spiders are found all over the world on every continent except Antarctica. There are thousands of species of wolf spiders and more than 200 of these species currently live in the United States. The most common in the US is called the rabid wolf spider which is found across Texas and Oklahoma but is sometimes reported as far as Maine and Florida.

You may see them called ground spiders or hunting spiders. They have large eyes and can see exceptionally well – even at night. They also have three small claws at the end of their legs which come in very useful for hunting. These spiders also tend to have a favorite hunting ground which they return to repeatedly.

Whilst most wolf spiders hunt insects or other spiders, some have been seen hunting small reptiles and even amphibians! They can move extremely quickly and pounce on their prey before it knows what is happening. The spiders will even chase prey if it runs away. Once caught, the prey is killed by injecting venom and the nutrients are sucked from its body!