Assassin spider discovered on South Australian Island after 2 years of bushfire

An ancient species of spider, arachnid, which was considered extinct in the devastating bushfire in 2019 has been re-discovered by a group of researchers in the Kangaroo Island, The Guardian reported on Tuesday. According to the British daily, the researchers called the survival of the rare species, one of the greatest and most joyful news of the year.

Assassin spiders, aka Archaeidae or sometimes called “pelican spiders” are a rather rare group of spider-eating spiders whose generation started nearly ten million years ago. The researchers said the "unusual" species have "unusually" elongated necks and jaws, which they use to impale their prey.

Extinct Spider found two years after Australian bushfires

Speaking to The Guardian, the researcher said that the assassin spider is usually 5mm long, and was only grasped to exist in the Western River wilderness protection area before the 2019 disastrous bushfires. The researchers noted that the fire that ignited in 2019, lasted for around a year. It had destroyed the area resulting in the extinction of over 14,000 species within a year.
"That was burnt at high severity to such an extent that there was no vegetation, no organic matter at the site", The Guardian quoted Dr Jessica Marsh, who has been studying invertebrates on the South Australian island for 13 years as saying.

Only an estimated one-third of all invertebrate species discovered

However, after months of surveys of the regions near the burnt areas, the investigators discovered two assassin spiders. It revealed the two rare species were found on a patch of leaf litter 4km from their previously known habitat. When the British daily asked the investigators about the precise location of the spiders, they dined to share citing the confidentiality of the investigation. 
"That we found one after all this time – it was really a moment that will stick with me. It was very powerful", Marsh, an honorary research associate at the South Australian Museum, told the Guardian.   

 According to her, the rare of the rarest species are vulnerable even to low-severity fires. "Only an estimated one-third of all invertebrate species in Australia has been discovered, posing a major conservation challenge. For two-thirds of species, we have no way of assessing their conservation risk or knowing if they’ve gone extinct", added the honorary research associate. 

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