New Wheatbelt Trapdoor Spider

A totally new species of trapdoor spider was found by a member of the Grass Valley community last month!

Mr John Cornish found the unusually colored spider in his backyard and took it to the Northam DEC office for more information.


"I just knew it was different to anything I'd seen before so I collected it in a jar and took it to DEC" said John.

The spider eventually found it's way to the WA Museum, (via Dr. Volker Framenau, who took this great picture) where Dr. Mark Harvey, Curator of Myriopods and Arachnids, identified it as being a new species.

After a short period it was clear to Dr. Harvey it was not like anything else in the WA Museum's collections.

"It had different reproductive parts and was a long way from other similar species" Dr. Harvey said. "The Genus was only described on 2001, having only two species in it. This new find will likely take the tally to three species, once the species is formally described.

Where else in the world can a new species of animal walk right up to your back door? In the central wheatbelt!!

The unique diversity of our region is constantly being added to, whether its new species' of spiders from Grass Valley, unique flora from saline seeps in Dowerin or new communities of plants from past the clearing line.

So, if you've seen something new, different of just interesting from the Wheatbelt, contact Wheatbelt NRM on 089 690 2250 and we'll see if we can help you find out what it is.