Spiders rain from ‘fogged’ Amazon canopy — including ‘astonishing’ new species
Deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, researchers set out to survey which spider species, known and unknown, may lurk in the tree canopy.
Using a strategy called canopy knockdown, the team fogged the canopy at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station with an insecticide, causing specimens to drop to the ground for collection.
An “astonishing” female spider — the only one of its kind discovered to date — was among those collected. Researchers have confirmed it to be a new species of orb-weaver, according to a study published July 11 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa.
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The new species, Spinepeira erwini, is now one of just two that comprise a rare genus not seen in 30 years. The first Spinepeira species was discovered in 1995, and since then, “no other specimens have been officially reported,” according to the study.
The new orb-weaver is distinguished by “two pointed, long, and thin dorsal projections,” on its abdomen, researchers said. It’s body is “orange-yellow” in color and covered with “pale-yellow” hair-like structures.
The new species is named “in honor of Terry Erwin, an impressive researcher” with a “devotion to canopy invertebrate research,” in particular, the study said.
His pioneering work, including the development of “fogging” as a survey method, paved the way for studies such as this, according to the research team. Erwin died in 2020.
Additional discoveries
During the survey, researchers also discovered a second new orb-weaver species belonging to the Scoloderus genus. Similarly to Spinepeira erwini, just one female specimen of the new species — Scoloderus neilli — was collected, according to the study.
The fogging also revealed the presence of a known species named Pozonia bacillifera, marking the first time it has ever been recorded in Ecuador, researchers said.
Tiputini Biodiversity Station is in Orelllana Province in northeastern Ecuador.
The research team included David R. Díaz-Guevara and Nadine Dupérré.
This story was originally published July 14, 2025 at 1:36 PM with the headline "Spiders rain from ‘fogged’ Amazon canopy — including ‘astonishing’ new species."
