Endangered Species – Arachnids

Endangered Species – Arachnids: "

Bee Creek Cave Harvestman (Texella reddelli)

Status: Endangered (ESA)



Often called daddy longlegs, harvestmen are slow-moving predatory eyeless spiders that inhabit the underground caves of Texas. The primary threat to the harvestmen and other cave invertebrates in the area is the loss of habitat due to rapid urban expansion, resulting in many caves having been paved over or filled in.

Kauaʻi Cave Wolf Spider (Adelocosa anops)

Status: Endangered (IUCN, ESA)



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Known to local residents as the “blind wolf spider”, the Kauaʻi cave wolf spider is only known to exist in six caves in the Kōloa–Poʻipū region of Kauaʻi, Hawaiian Islands. This sightless creature do not spin webs but crawls through the cracks and crevices in caves, capturing prey by its senses of touch, smell, and taste. It has large venomous fangs with which to inject and subdue its prey.

Tooth Cave Spider (Tayshaneta myopica, formerly Neoleptoneta myopica)

Status: Endangered (ESA)



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Tooth cave spiders inhabit the dark underground caves of the Edwards Plateau in Travis County, Texas and are usually found hanging from cave walls or ceilings by a small tangle or sheet web. Destruction of these cave habitats in urban areas is the primary cause of its endangered status.

Red-kneed Tarantula (Euathlus smithi, also Brachypelma smithi)

Status: Near threatened (IUCN)



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Due to its brilliant colors and longevity (males usually live about 8 years, while a female may live between 20 and 30 years), red-kneed tarantulas have become very popular among spider collectors. Thousands of these tarantulas were imported from Mexico and then sold as pets until 1985, resulting in the decline of the spiders’ population in the wild. Destruction of its habitat in Mexico is also responsible for decline in this species’ population. In 1985, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) banned the exportation and importation of tarantulas caught in the wild; only those bred in captivity can be legally traded.

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