A new spider has been spotted off the coast of Queensland, Australia, that relies on some impressive adaptability to survive between the tides. This spider wanders around at low tide, looking for small prey in the waves. When high tide comes, it forms an air chamber made of silk and crouches in barnacles shells, corals or seaweed until the sea recedes again.
Researchers at the Queensland Museum and the University of Hamburg call the intertidal spider a "true marine" species. They named the species after legendary musician Bob Marley, who wrote: "It lives in a habitat of 'high or low tide.'"
When the high tide comes, the spider does not flee the intertidal zone, but weaves a silk-sealed air chamber where it can hide. When the tide goes low, it rushes back to catch small invertebrates before the ocean forces it to rest again.
The researchers write that the species is predominantly red and brown, with orange-yellow legs and a dense layer of gray fine hairy structures on the legs. The females appear to be larger, with the female specimens studied approaching 9 mm in length, while the males were about 6 mm long. Researchers are still unsure of how widespread the creature is, but so far they have documented its life in the intertidal zone of the Great Barrier Reef off the north-east coast of Queensland – another example of the amazing biodiversity found in and around this famous coral reef system.
These images show the spider's habitat at high tide (A) and low tide (B), as well as a hologram of the spider (C) on the coral and the male of the species (D).
The researchers also use their new research to honor the 19th-century German naturalist Amerie Dietrich, who came to Australia from Europe in 1863 and "ventured out on a continent that was then unexplored to escape poverty and oppression". Dietrich helped create the collection of Gothic arachnids, noting, "This is the main taxonomic reference for oceanian spiders." ”
As for the name of their newly discovered sea spider, the researchers gave this explanation:
"The reggae legend Bob Marley certainly had a different background, but he shared some of the same personality traits as Dietrich and other explorers: adventurous, tenacious, and liberating himself and his companions from poverty and despair," they wrote. He liked music over nature, but the traces left by the songs taught him optimism and independent thinking rather than hatred and passive endurance. The song "High or Low" promotes love and friendship through all the struggles in life.