Currently, great discoveries have been made, both outside and inside our planet, as is the case of this discovery that was deeply hidden on our planet. It is a fossil of a new species of spider, which inhabited the earth millions of years ago in Australia. That arachnid, known by its Latin name as Megamonodontium mccluskyi, which is estimated to have been five times larger than the closest current specimen. Since, Dr. Robert Raven, arachnologist at the Queensland Museum and supervising author of the study, reports for Europa Press that this spider fossil is the largest found in Australia.
The discovery of this fossil is one of the most important in the history of paleontology in that country, since it is part of the only four fossilized spider remains in the Australian nation, this according to Mathew McCurry, who is the main author of the study; Also, this great discovery has given way to scientists being able to continue carrying out research on the evolution and extinction of this type of animals.
The name of Megamonodontium mccluskyi He receives it in honor of the scientist Simon McClusky, since he was the doctor who found the vestige. This name is composed of the words “mega”, which means ‘big’; “monodontium” which is the genus of arachnids and “mccluskyi”; this in honor of the scientist who discovered it. Dr. Simon McClusky also noted the following: “Not only is it the largest fossilized spider found in Australia, but it is the first fossil of the Barychelidae family found anywhere in the world.”.
In addition to this, it was declared that this arachnid lived during the Miocene period in Australia, at that time, that territory was a tropical jungle. According to the statements of Dr. Simon McClusky, this spider belongs to the family Barychelidae, of which the members of this family of arachnids are known as trappers because they build trap burrows in the ground or wood and use their bulky bodies to seal their hiding places.
Having already entered into the characteristics of this unique spider, its fossil shows that it was the largest specimen of the known trapdoor spiders that exist today, since these trapper spiders measure approximately 10 millimeters, while the spider Megamonodontium mccluskyi shows a size of 50 millimeters from tip to tip, making the Megamonodontium mccluskyi in the second record of a spider with the largest proportions that has been found in Australia. Likewise, it holds second place as the best preserved vestige of a mygalomorphic arachnid.
To get a better idea of what this arachnid may have looked like, the lead author of the study, Mathew McCurry, mentions that there is a very close relative of the Megamonodontium mccluskyi inhabiting the humid forests from Singapore to Papua New Guinea, and the difference in geographical distribution suggests that the prehistoric Australian trapdoor spider became extinct as the territory began to acquire the arid climate that characterizes it today, so the discovery of this Fossil is extremely important, since it is very difficult for these arachnids to fossilize, due to their composition which means that, after dying, their bodies are dissected and pulverized.
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