A tiny spider once thought extinct in the UK has been found again on the Isle of Wight, delighting 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 remote site accessible only by boat. The discovery was made by entomologists Mark Telfer and Graeme Lyons, who spotted two spiders just minutes before their pickup.
Last seen in 1985, the species had vanished as its open grassland habitat became overgrown. Its return is credited to Hebridean sheep grazing, which restored the short, sunlit turf it depends on.
Helen Smith of the British Arachnological Society called the find “one of Britain’s lost species rediscoveries of the century.” Conservationists will now study the population to ensure its survival.
National Trust manager Paul Davies said: “To see that work paying off with the return of a species this rare is incredibly rewarding.”
