News species of trapdoor being uncovered — and they’re already in danger

Dozens of new species of secretive trapdoor spider are being discovered across the country for exactly that reason — they’re so elusive.

A group of southwestern Australian trapdoor spiders have been listed as threatened species, despite only just being formally named.

A research group led by Queensland Museum scientist Dr Michael Rix, along with the Western Australian Museum, University of Adelaide and South Australian Museum, has described 15 new species.

The group includes the only spider in Australia that is on both the Western Australian state and the Commonwealth threatened species lists, and now a further two species that have been listed on the Western Australian threatened species list because of the latest research.

Another researcher from Griffith University, PhD student Jeremy Wilson, has also discovered a lineage of trapdoor spiders that weren’t previously known to occur in mainland Australia, having only previously been in Tasmania.

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http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/news-species-of-trapdoor-being-uncovered-and-theyre-already-in-danger/news-story/67f6da4dbdf197c7d5243e0f133b6223