Rare British spider thought extinct for past 50 years rediscovered in Nottinghamshire forest
The spider, known as a Diamond Spider because of the markings on its back, was found by National Trust volunteers on heathland at Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire
A rare spider thought to have been extinct for almost 50 years has been found in a Nottinghamshire park.
The spider, known as a Diamond Spider because of the markings on its back, was found by National Trust volunteers on heathland at Clumber Park.
The arachnid, which can measure up to 12mm, has only been recorded in the UK on three occasions, all of them in the South of England, and not since the 1960s. It is so rare that it took experts six weeks to identify it.
The last recorded sightings of the Diamond Spider occurred in Legsheath and Duddleswell, in Ashdown Forest, in 1969.
Matt Shardlow, the chief executive of Buglife said:"We are absolutely delighted that this pretty little spider has been re-found, we had almost given up hope."
Finder Lucy Stockton said: "The spider ran away from me twice but with persistence and some luck I caught it," reported.
"At the time I had no idea that it would turn out to be such a rare find.
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"Upon closer inspection our spider had a conspicuous ‘cardiac mark’, a black diamond shape on its abdomen, edged with white that helped us to identify it.
"We were thrilled to have discovered this new resident of Clumber Park and to prove that this species is definitely not extinct in the UK."
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