A tiny wolf spider species thought extinct in the UK has been rediscovered on the Isle of Wight, thrilling conservationists.
The Aulonia albimana, newly nicknamed the white-knuckled wolf spider for its pale leg joints, was found 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 specimens just minutes before their pickup.
The spider, last seen in 1985, was located in a grazed area restored by Hebridean sheep, which help maintain the open, sunlit grassland the species needs.
Helen Smith of the British Arachnological Society called it “one of Britain’s lost species rediscoveries of the century.”
The find marks a conservation success for the National Trust, which has spent years managing the rare limestone habitat. Researchers now aim to assess the spider’s population and learn how to secure its long-term survival.
