09:56 | Lima, Dec. 24 (ANDINA).
A new species of spider is thought to have been found in the Peruvian Amazon
The spider, which is believed to be in the genus Cyclosa, builds elaborate fake spiders, and then hangs it in its web.
“The spiders arrange debris along specialized silk strands called stabilimenta in a symmetrical form that makes it look almost exactly like a larger spider hanging in the web,” said Phil Torres, who originally described the find in a blog post for Rainforest Expeditions.
Torres said close to 25 of these spiders were found in a floodplain area surrounding the Tambopata Research Center, website Peruthisweek.com reported.
The Cyclosa genus is known for using debris to create decoys, however none are as detailed as the spiders found at the research center, Torres said.
“Studies have found that some Cyclosa species have a higher survival rate against potential predators like paper wasps because the wasps end up attacking the debris in the web rather than the spider itself.”
He added that the next steps would be to collect samples, compare them to known species, and eventually publishing the findings in a journal.
(END) INT/MOC
Published: 12/24/2012