A rare spider believed to be extinct in the UK has been found alive on the Isle of Wight after 40 years.
The Aulonia albimana, nicknamed the “white-knuckled wolf spider” for the pale markings on its palps, was rediscovered at the National Trust’s Newtown nature reserve, an area only reachable by boat.
Entomologists Mark Telfer and Graeme Lyons made the find just minutes before leaving the site. Lyons said: “I’ve seen 559 spider species in the British Isles and this one was by far the most exciting find.”
Last recorded in 1985, the tiny 4mm spider thrives in short, open grassland — conditions restored at the reserve through grazing by Hebridean sheep.
Helen Smith of the British Arachnological Society called it “one of Britain’s lost species rediscoveries of the century.” Conservationists now aim to assess the population and ensure the species’ long-term survival.
