Pelican Spiders

Hannah Wood
January 11, 2018
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lateral view of pelican spider
Hannah Wood

Eriauchenius workmani (pictured above) is one of the pelican spiders from Madagascar redescribed by the scientists. While most pelican spiders in Madagascar have very narrow distributions, for example, living only on top of one mountain, this species is the most widespread in Madagascar, occurring throughout most of the eastern rainforests. This species is also the largest known pelican spider, measuring around 1 centimeter in body length and height making it slightly larger than a grain of rice. Scientists are still learning about the biology of pelican spiders, and the purpose of the four large points on this species “head” and the large single bump on the abdomen is still unknown.

Photo by Hannah Wood