Discovered new giant spider in Ingelheim: Black -brown plump weaver servant now also in Rheinhessen

Discovered new giant spider in Ingelheim: Black -brown plump weaver servant now also in Rheinhessen

new spider on the advance in Mainz?

Climate change and the rain trade in goods mean that more and more animal species are becoming at home with us. This also refers to a type of weaving servant (Opiliones) that are closely related to the arachnids. The newly discovered species is strikingly large and has a velvety-black look. Originally discovered in Saxony, these animals have now made their way to Ingelheim in Rheinhessen, where the "Black Brown Plump Weberknecht" (Egaenus Convexus) is now located. The spread to Mainz therefore does not seem to be far away. The city administration has already announced that sightings of such animals can be reported.

"big and inconspicuous"

The spider said is considered the "thicker" among the weavers. Biologist Dr. Axel Schönhofer from the Natural History Museum Mainz (NHM), which has examined the new population, explains: "The animals are particularly noticeable through their frequency. Presumably they have been introduced by earth or ornamental plants and have so far only lived in very warm areas."

worldwide exist around 4,000 different types of weavers' servants, of which around 110 are located in Central Europe. In Germany, the long -legged "cobblers" or "Schneider" are particularly known, as the Weberknecht is colloquially called. This species is characterized by its pronounced social behavior and spends the day in tight sleep communities. If you threaten, you tremble up and down and run hectically apart. "That may be scared, but it often seems creepy to us humans. The animals are completely harmless," emphasizes Schönhofer. So far, the newly discovered species apparently has no negative effects on domestic fauna.

So if you see a "black -brown plump -webknecht" (Egaenus Convexus) in Mainz, you are called to take a photo and to send it to Dr.axel.schoenhofer@stadt.mainz.de.

- Nag