Cerbalus aravaensis

Cerbalus aravaensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Family:	Sparassidae
Genus:	Cerbalus
Species:	C. aravaensis
Binomial name
Cerbalus aravaensis

Cerbalus aravaensis is a spider discovered in the Sands of Samar in the southern Arava region of Israel in 2010. Cerbalus aravaensis was discovered by a team of biologists from the University of Haifa. The spider's leg span is nearly 15 centimetres (6 in).^[1]

Cerbalus aravaensis is nocturnal and is most active in the hotter summer months. It constructs underground dens with doors made of sand and glue in order to disguise the entrance from predators.^[1]

The Sands of Samar, the last remaining sand dunes in the southern Arava region of Israel and home of Cerbalus aravaensis, are disappearing. The sands once covered as many as 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²), but now only cover approximately 1-square-mile (2.6 km²), due to re-zoning of areas for agriculture and sand quarries. Mining projects on the sands are intended to be renewed in the near future and thus the habitat's future is uncertain.^[2] Should the Sands of Samar be destroyed, it is unlikely that Cerbalus aravaensis would survive.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Haifa U discovers new spider species". Israel 21c. January 14, 2010. http://www.israel21c.org/briefs/haifa-u-discovers-new-spider-species. Retrieved January 20, 2010. 
2. ^ "New Spider Species Is Largest of Its Type in Middle East". Science Daily. January 12, 2010. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100111102534.htm. Retrieved January 13, 2010. 

External links

• "Giant Spider Species Discovered in Middle Eastern Sand Dunes". Wired Science. January 11, 2010. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/01/giant-middle-eastern-spider-discovered. 
• "Big Spider Discovered in Disappearing Sand Dunes". LiveScience. January 12, 2010. http://www.livescience.com/animals/news-spider-species-100111.html.