27 October 2017
Action is needed to conserve
Wales' rare spider species, including those which only live underground, a
review has found.
Some of the 500 species of
spiders that live in Wales are found almost nowhere else in the world,
according to Natural Resources Wales (NRW).
They include cave spiders found
in two places in south Wales and sand running spiders on beaches and sand
dunes.
NRW said spiders were
"crucial" to the environment.
The review, conducted by NRW in
conjunction with the British Arachnological Society, found there were 654
different species of spider in the UK - with almost 500 found in Wales.
Of those, 18 species were
critically endangered, with 84 species being endangered or vulnerable in
Britain.
They include:
The sand running spider, which is
a master of camouflage, found at three locations in Wales, including sand dunes
at Morfa Harlech in Gwynedd
The cave dwelling spider, found
at only two locations in south Wales, which spends its entire life underground
The fen raft spider, found at
Pant y Sais National Nature Reserve and Crymlyn Bog, Swansea - it is one of
Britain's largest spiders, with females measuring 13-22mm and males 10-16mm
Rhodri Dafydd, senior reserve manager
for NRW, said of the sand running spider: "They're a fantastic looking
thing. They're one of the most camouflaged spiders we've got, it looks exactly
like a piece of sand so we have our work cut out looking for it.
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