A tiny spider thought extinct in the UK has been found again on the Isle of Wight, thrilling conservationists.
The Aulonia albimana, now nicknamed the white-knuckled wolf spider for its pale leg joints, was rediscovered at the National Trust’s Newtown nature reserve, a site reachable only by boat. It was last recorded in Britain in 1985.
Entomologists Mark Telfer and Graeme Lyons made the discovery with just minutes left in their survey. “To find a species thought lost for 40 years is thrilling,” said Telfer.
The spider, only 3.8–4.4mm long, lives on open, sunlit turf. The habitat had been restored by grazing Hebridean sheep, which maintain the short grass the species needs.
Helen Smith of the British Arachnological Society called it “one of Britain’s lost species rediscoveries of the century.” Conservationists now aim to assess the population and ensure its long-term survival.
