Spiders may be long-lived. The oldest survived 43 years

A female spider of the species Giaus villosus referred to as “Number 16” survived for 43 years. This is a new record in spider lifespan. The cause of her death was parasitic osa. Researchers hoped it would live to be 50 years old.

„Number 16” Was first spotted in 1974 and took part in an arachnid studyoIn a study conducted in Australia. After an attack by a parasitic wasp, the spider died. The researchers announced that it was the longest-lived representative of the species and broke the longevity record by 15 years. To date, the longest-lived spider was a tarantula from Mexico, ktora survived 28 years.

– To our knowledge, this is the oldest spider ever recorded – said Leanda Mason of the University in Perth, author of the publication in „Pacific Conservation Biology”. – Its long life allowed us to study spider behavior in more detailoin this species and population dynamics,” added Mason.

„Number 16” is a spider belonging to the species Giaus villosus. They are predators. They spend most of their lives in their burrows, coming out only to snatch prey. As the researchers found, spending most of its time in a burrow promotes the long life of these spidersow. The males, whoore reach sexual maturity at age 5, leave burrows more often to find mates. They also live much krocej.

Burrowing spideroin is connected by a network of tunnels, whichore are enlarged along with the growth of the individual and lined with a spider web. The entrance is camouflaged and provides an excellent place to ambush insects. These spiders fiercely defend their homes, and scientists have observed that females remain in their burrows their entire lives. They won’t move into an abandoned neighbor’s burrow. Even if a spider’s burrow is damaged, it chooses to repair it instead of looking for a new home, ktory was built by someone else.

„Number 16” was among the first group observed by researcher Barbara York Main, now a retired arachnologist at the University of Western Australia. Its burrow was marked as one of the first in 1974, as the burrow of a young female. About 150 similar habitats of these spiders are observed throughout the studyow.

The case “Number 16” forces scientistsow to change viewoIn on the longevity of the spiderow. Researchers believe that tarantulas can reach an age of more than 20 years. There is evidence that the species known from the name Tasmanian Cave Spider can live up to 40 years. Previously, it was thought that the species, to which theorego belonged „number 16”, may live about 20 years, but these findings are now outdated.

These spiders illustrate the approach to life in ancient landscapes, and through our ongoing research we will be able to determine how theob Events related to climate change or deforestation will potentially affect spider speciesow – explained Grant Wardell-Johnson, director of the Curtin Institute for Biodiversity and Climate and coorouter of the study.

SourceoSource: Live Science, photo. Mason et al./Pacific Conservation Biology