Brazilian spider becomes 50,000th species recorded in world catalog

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THE Minuano Gurius lives in South America and has become the 50,000th officially recorded species of spider, but there is still much to discover, according to the Natural History Museum in Bern.

THE Gurius minute was officially registered on April 6 in the World Spider Catalog or WSC, compiled by the museum in the Swiss capital.

The new species, named after a disappeared tribe in southern Brazil, the Minuano, was discovered by arachnid expert Kimberly S. Marta and Brazilian colleagues, the museum said in a statement on Monday.

Minuano Gurius is part of the family Salticidae or jumping spiders, which is the largest of the arachnid families.

This species especially has eight eyes, four on the front of the head and two on each side. At Salticidae have excellent vision.

THE Minuano Gurius hunts its prey in hedges and trees in southern Brazil, but also in Uruguay and around the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.

The Natural History Museum in Bern points out that while it took 265 years since the scientific description of the first spider in 1757 to describe half of the likely species, the pace of discovery of new species continues to increase.

Experts estimate that it will take at least a hundred years for the international scientific community to record the second half.

All spiders will have their name in the World Spider Catalog, which can be viewed for free, and which brings together everything related to spider taxonomy.

“Spiders are the most important predators in terrestrial habitats and their ecological importance should not be underestimated,” the statement said.

In addition, they are the main regulator of insect populations, of which they consume between 400 and 800 million tons per year, according to the note.

“Therefore, they are of great importance to humans,” the museum said.

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