Six new species of goblin spiders named after famous goblins and brownies

Pensoft Editorial Team

Tagged Arachnida, arachnids, arachnology, Araneae, biodiversity, brownies, Enid Blyton, European folklore, goblin spiders, goblins, minute spiders, mythology, new species, new spiders, rainforests, spiders, Sri Lanka, taxonomyLeave a comment

June 21, 2018

Fictional characters originally ‘described’ by famous English children’s writer Enid Blyton have given their names to six new species of minute goblin spiders discovered in the diminishing forests of Sri Lanka. The goblins Bom, Snooky and Tumpy and the brownies Chippy, Snippy and Tiggy made their way from the pages of: “The Goblins Looking-Glass” […]

Spider eat spider: Scientists discover 18 new spider-hunting pelican spiders in Madagascar

Pensoft Editorial Team

Tagged Arachnida, arachnids, arachnology, Araneae, bioidversity, fauna, Madagascar, new species, new spiders, pelican spiders, SmithsonianLeave a comment

January 11, 2018

In 1854, a curious-looking spider was found preserved in 50 million-year-old amber. With an elongated neck-like structure and long mouthparts that protruded from the “head” like an angled beak, the arachnid bore a striking resemblance to a tiny pelican. A few decades later when living pelican spiders were discovered in Madagascar, arachnologists learned that their […]