RARE Spider Thought To Be Extinct For 3 Decades Found/Dissected

Small rare spider becomes a roadblock in San Antonio Texas

www.digitaljournal.com...

A rare spider specie, believed to be extinct in the last thirty years, was found in a road infrastructure work in Bexar County in San Antonio.

he tiny spider discovery is an endangered species with the scientific name Cicurina venii. It is most commonly called Braken Bat Cave meshweaver, where it is discovered by George Veni in 1980 at the Northwestern Area of Bexar County. The spider has been placed in 2000, on the Federal Government's endangered species list.

The spider was placed in a bottle by the biology group of Zara Environment, where it has been dissected for identification purposes. It is legal for endangered species to be collected and dissected so that it can be identified, as long as the person or group has a federal permit.

Additional Link: www.mysanantonio.com...

The spider, no bigger than a dime, showed up in the middle of a $15.1 million highway underpass project on Texas 151 at Loop 1604.

And in this particular case of nature vs. man-made road, the arachnid wins.

The highway project is on hold indefinitely.

A biologist discovered the eyeless spider, called the Braken Bat Cave meshweaver, after rain exposed a 6-feet-deep natural hole in the highway's median.

Construction, under way since April, was halted late last week after a taxonomist confirmed the creature indeed was the endangered meshweaver, named for the type of web it spins.

This is a significant discovery for it allows scientists to track which insects are still around. The question of significance of this species remains a mystery, but it does allow an insight to how the world is evolving, changing, and which creatures are able to survive to the longest (survival of the fittest).

What upsets me though is the fact that a rare gem is found, only to be killed to identify it???

I can understand that the internal anatomy and structure differs it from its relative, but couldn't they use some other means to identify the insect than using a knife? Another human fail in preserving nature.

What are your thoughts ATS?

Wait, what???? That just sounds wrong! I would think that all spider insides are pretty much the same so how does dissection help? Do they blender it for DNA? Can't they just do a comparison with the photo? I am sure if it found itself in the living room of most ATSers, it would be flattened, and not for science, but still, what they did is somehow just wrong.


writing my response to the first post while you wrote the second. Gonna leave it though.

I gave you a S & F for the title alone..

Get a federal permit and you can catch and then dissect endangered species to identify them as being part of an endangered species.....

Originally posted by Skywatcher2011

I can understand that the internal anatomy and structure differs it from its relative, but couldn't they use some other means to identify the insect than using a knife?

I just found my answer:

Construction, under way since April, was halted late last week after a taxonomist confirmed the creature indeed was the endangered meshweaver, named for the type of web it spins.

So unless the spider DID NOT spin a web, ultimately the spider got killed for it...soooooo, scientists couldn't wait for the spider to do this FIRST before scalping it to death? Poor thing had no chance

Originally posted by SLAYER69

Get a federal permit and you can catch and then dissect endangered species to identify them as being part of an endangered species.....

So if you didn't get a fed permit, would that be considered "poaching" an endangered species?

I hope that was not the last remaining member of a specific gender of that spider they dissected. Whoops

I am glad that scientific ventures still have the ability to stop human kinds insatiable need to develop everything into a concrete jungle.

However, i hope this isnt the species of spider that eventuallyt evolves to rule the human species, then future generations will be wishing they had build that highway

reply to post by MDDoxs


I guarantee the highway will be built...money and greed wins over little insects any time....

But the cave where Veni found the spider later was filled and now is covered by a residential development. The Braken Bat Cave meshweaver spider hadn't been seen since.

Read more: www.mysanantonio.com...

I rest my case.

reply to post by Skywatcher2011


there are multiple types of meshweaver and no i dont know much about spiders and im not magic i just had 15 seconds and access to a search engine

if they couldnt identify it they couldnt take measures to preserve its habitat and save that whole population so yeah it was worth it

reply to post by Skywatcher2011



I'm sure when the spider was about to be sliced it was pretty much "Endangered"
I guess, to answer your question it would be poaching which really makes the irony of this story all the more pronounced.

I've killed like two of those in my house last weekend.

My bad......

I know it's a little sad that this one particular spider ended up being dissected but on the other hand how heart warming is it that we have come to the point where a 15million dollar project can be binned in the hope of preserving a spider species. Especially considering that it wasnt very long ago at all that people were willing to wipe out an entire species without a single though if it could be made into a hat.

All spiders I encounter are endangered....

if all goes according to plan they are dead shortly after said encounter.

"endangered"...lol.

reply to post by Skywatcher2011


Let me get this straight:

The highway project is closed indefinately because it might endanger this one spider that they already killed and dissected?

Originally posted by davespanners
I know it's a little sad that this one particular spider ended up being dissected but on the other hand how heart warming is it that we have come to the point where a 15million dollar project can be binned in the hope of preserving a spider species. Especially considering that it wasnt very long ago at all that people were willing to wipe out an entire species without a single though if it could be made into a hat.

You missed the point of the thread. The argument is not whether or not to halt the multi million dollar project because of an endangered spider...but the fact that the spider species which was thought to be extinct was found and then dissect it.

The project should be a go...but the point is that there could have been another way to identify it (spider web) rather than making it even more likely that species is extinct. Get it???

Originally posted by HandyDandy
reply to post by Skywatcher2011

 

Let me get this straight:

The highway project is closed indefinately because it might endanger this one spider that they already killed and dissected?

That's what the article said...I didn't say it

reply to post by Skywatcher2011


I am just guessing here, but perhaps the highway development is shutdown indefinately at this point in time to grant scientists enough time to conclude if any significant population is present in the path of this highway or if they exsist else where in the region.