After an 11-year old was curious about spiders, the worst nightmare of all arachnophobes has been proven true.
Murphy Widdowson, young Murphy Widdowson, was staying on Deal Island in north-east Tasmania when he discovered the new wolf spider.
Murphy approached Launceston’s Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery for help in identifying the species. John Douglas was left stumped by Murphy’s efforts.
Tasmanian schoolboy Murphy Widdowson, 11, (pictured) unearthed the new spider species
To identify the spider species, Dr Volker Framenau from Western Australia sent a specimen to him. He named it Artoriopsis Murphyi after the curious schoolboy.
Museum staff and volunteers recently held a special presentation to celebrate Murphy’s achievements which was attended by his proud family and teacher and included an ‘Artoriopsis murphyi’ cake!
Douglas says that while new species of spiders are quite common in Australia, very few Australian arachnologists have the ability or time to properly describe them.
Artoriopsis Murphyi was the new wolf spider species. (pictured).
“It looked very much like wolf spiders from this genus… but it was really only when you examined it that it could be distinguished as being a separate species.” [through its unique sex organs]”
This spider’s latest form is harmless to human beings.
Douglas stated, “This one is only five millimetres long, and if you felt it biting you, I don’t think you’d feel it.”
John Douglas (left), Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery’s resident Spider Expert, was stumped when Murphy called him (right), to find out a specific spider species that he discovered on Deal Island