在西澳大利亚州发现的两种新的陷阱门蜘蛛

由西澳大利亚大学领导的一组科学家在金伯利地区发现了两种新的陷阱蜘蛛

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.

由西澳大利亚大学领导的一个科学家团队在金伯利地区发现了两种新的陷阱门蜘蛛，标志着该物种的第一次在澳大利亚北部发现。

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.

本月在澳大利亚分类学杂志上发表的一篇论文中描述了新确定的蛛网波动和宽坎nemoralis-在本月发表的一篇论文中进行了描述，从而扩展了对澳大利亚独特的蜘蛛动物群的科学理解。

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.

首席作家杰里米·威尔逊（Jeremy Wilson）博士是UWA生物科学学院的博士后研究员，与西澳大利亚博物馆的研究助理，是该组织的一部分，在2022年在澳大利亚政府支持的布什闪电战探险队前往偏远的北部金伯利。

“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.

威尔逊博士说：“我们没有在金伯利（Kimberley）闻名的典型的干萨凡纳（Savannah）风景中发现这些蜘蛛，而是我们发现的Kwonkan Nemoralis的标本，该标本长大到20美分的硬币大约在20美分的大小上，坐落在一个峡谷中，避开了Richer Forest的峡谷，” Wilson博士说。

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

图像：大约是20美分的大小...宽坎·尼莫利斯（Kwonkan Nemoralis）。照片：杰里米·威尔逊博士

“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.”

“这些湿润的森林斑块很小，通常被峡谷所遮盖，因此当您进入它们时，它是一个完全不同的环境 - 潮湿得多，植物种类的收集不同。”

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

根据威尔逊博士的说法，使蜘蛛迷人的是他们高度专业化的洞穴结构。

“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.

威尔逊博士说：“与大多数相关物种建立了简单的开放式洞穴入口不同，关卡属的蜘蛛创造出具有独特特征的精心制作的洞穴入口。”

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

“当我们注意到沙质河岸中独特的圆形洞穴时，我们正在沿着小溪进行探索。

“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建造的洞穴在入口处有一点可折叠的丝绸项圈，后者嵌入其中的沙子粒，与我们之前所见过的任何东西都不同 - 聪明的工程具有多种功能。

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

图片：大师级建筑师...蜘蛛洞穴周围的丝绸衣领。照片：杰里米·威尔逊博士

“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.

“当被打扰时，洞穴入口周围的衣领塌陷并密封入口，而沙子与周围的景观完美融合，使捕食者几乎看不见。

“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.”

“我们特别感兴趣的一个问题是，为什么它们建立了这些不寻常的，修改的入口，是否可以适应特定的狩猎策略，或者是为了防御诸如蝎子，cent虫和黄蜂等掠食者的捍卫，我们知道这些蜘蛛。”

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

威尔逊博士说，在干旱地区意外的洪水事件中，该设计还可以保护蜘蛛。

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.

这两个新物种的发现促成了澳大利亚分类法澳大利亚分类法，这是澳大利亚科学院的一项国家倡议，旨在记录一代人中澳大利亚的生物多样性。

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

在页面上的照片：在峡谷的庇护地区发现的雨林。照片：杰里米·威尔逊博士