在西澳大利亞州發現的兩種新的陷阱門蜘蛛

由西澳大利亞大學領導的一組科學家在金伯利地區發現了兩種新的陷阱蜘蛛

A team of scientists led by The University of Western Australia has discovered two new species of trapdoor spiders in the Kimberley region, marking the first time members of the species have been found in northern Australia.

由西澳大利亞大學領導的一個科學家團隊在金伯利地區發現了兩種新的陷阱門蜘蛛，標誌著該物種的第一次在澳大利亞北部發現。

The newly identified arachnids - Kwonkan fluctellus and Kwonkan nemoralis - were described in a paper published this month in the Australian Journal of Taxonomy, expanding scientific understanding of Australia’s unique spider fauna.

本月在澳大利亞分類學雜誌上發表的一篇論文中描述了新確定的蛛網波動和寬坎nemoralis-在本月發表的一篇論文中進行了描述，從而擴展了對澳大利亞獨特的蜘蛛動物群的科學理解。

Lead author Dr Jeremy Wilson, a postdoctoral research fellow in UWA’s School of Biological Sciences and research associate with the Western Australian Museum, was part of the group that found them during an Australian Government-supported Bush Blitz expedition to the remote northern Kimberley in 2022.

首席作家傑里米·威爾遜（Jeremy Wilson）博士是UWA生物科學學院的博士後研究員，與西澳大利亞博物館的研究助理，是該組織的一部分，在2022年在澳大利亞政府支持的布什閃電戰探險隊前往偏遠的北部金伯利。

“We didn't discover these spiders in the typical dry savannah landscapes the Kimberley is known for, but instead the specimens we found of Kwonkan nemoralis, which grows to around the size of a 20-cent coin, were located deep within a gorge that shelters patches of richer forest,” Dr Wilson said.

威爾遜博士說：“我們沒有在金伯利（Kimberley）聞名的典型的干薩凡納（Savannah）風景中發現這些蜘蛛，而是我們發現的Kwonkan Nemoralis的標本，該標本長大到20美分的硬幣大約在20美分的大小上，坐落在一個峽谷中，避開了Richer Forest的峽谷，” Wilson博士說。

Image: About the size of a 20 cent piece... the Kwonkan nemoralis. Photograph: Dr Jeremy Wilson

圖像：大約是20美分的大小...寬坎·尼莫利斯（Kwonkan Nemoralis）。照片：傑里米·威爾遜博士

“These wetter forest patches are quite small and usually sheltered by the gorge so when you enter them, it’s a completely different environment - much more humid, with a different collection of plant species.”

“這些濕潤的森林斑塊很小，通常被峽谷所遮蓋，因此當您進入它們時，它是一個完全不同的環境 - 潮濕得多，植物種類的收集不同。”

According to Dr Wilson, what makes the spiders fascinating is their highly specialised burrow construction.

根據威爾遜博士的說法，使蜘蛛迷人的是他們高度專業化的洞穴結構。

“Unlike most related species that build simple open entrances to their burrows, spiders of the Kwonkan genus create elaborate burrow entrances with unique features,” Dr Wilson said.

威爾遜博士說：“與大多數相關物種建立了簡單的開放式洞穴入口不同，關卡屬的蜘蛛創造出具有獨特特徵的精心製作的洞穴入口。”

“We were exploring along a small creek when we noticed distinctive circular burrows in the sandy banks.

“當我們注意到沙質河岸中獨特的圓形洞穴時，我們正在沿著小溪進行探索。

“The burrows constructed by the Kwonkan nemoralis had a little collapsible silken collar around the entrance, which had grains of sand embedded in it and were unlike anything we’d seen before - clever engineering that serves multiple functions.

“ Kwonkan Nemoralis建造的洞穴在入口處有一點可折疊的絲綢項圈，後者嵌入其中的沙子粒，與我們之前所見過的任何東西都不同 - 聰明的工程具有多種功能。

Image: Master architect... the silken collar around the spider's burrow. Photograph: Dr Jeremy Wilson

圖片：大師級建築師...蜘蛛洞穴周圍的絲綢衣領。照片：傑里米·威爾遜博士

“When disturbed, the collar around the burrow’s entrance collapses and seals the entrance, while the sand blends perfectly with the surrounding landscape, making it virtually invisible to predators.

“當被打擾時，洞穴入口周圍的衣領塌陷並密封入口，而沙子與周圍的景觀完美融合，使捕食者幾乎看不見。

“One question we’re particularly interested in is why they build these unusual, modified entrances and whether they may be adaptions to specific hunting strategies, or for defending against predators such as scorpions, centipedes and wasps, which we know hunt these spiders.”

“我們特別感興趣的一個問題是，為什麼它們建立了這些不尋常的，修改的入口，是否可以適應特定的狩獵策略，或者是為了防禦諸如蝎子，cent蟲和黃蜂等掠食者的捍衛，我們知道這些蜘蛛。”

Dr Wilson said the design may also protect the spiders during unexpected flooding events in arid areas.

威爾遜博士說，在乾旱地區意外的洪水事件中，該設計還可以保護蜘蛛。

The discovery of the two new species contributes to Taxonomy Australia, a national initiative under the Australian Academy of Science that aims to document Australia’s biodiversity within a generation.

這兩個新物種的發現促成了澳大利亞分類法澳大利亞分類法，這是澳大利亞科學院的一項國家倡議，旨在記錄一代人中澳大利亞的生物多樣性。

Photograph at top of page: Rainforest found in sheltered regions of the gorge. Photograph: Dr Jeremy Wilson

在頁面上的照片：在峽谷的庇護地區發現的雨林。照片：傑里米·威爾遜博士