Mysteries Unlocked

Giant Trapdoor Spider Fossil found: Makes scientists wonder - Was there a Rainforest in Australia which is now lost in time ?

Scientists have discovered a fossil of a large spider in Australia, which is believed to have gone extinct as the continent became more arid. The newly identified species has been named Megamonodontium mccluskyi and is one of the few spider fossils ever discovered in Australia. This groundbreaking research has been published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

The spider fossil was found in McGraths Flat, a region in New South Wales rich in Miocene fossils. This discovery is so exceptional that it has been classified as a Lagerstätte—a sedimentary fossil bed capable of preserving soft tissues. Some fossils found at McGraths Flat even exhibit subcellular structures.

What sets this discovery apart is the remarkable preservation of the spider in a type of iron-rich rock called goethite. This level of preservation allowed researchers to observe minute details in the spider’s body, classifying it as a close relative of the modern Monodontium genus but approximately five times larger in size. Megamonodontium mccluskyi measures 23.31 millimeters in body length, making it the second-largest spider fossil found globally.

According to paleontologist Matthew McCurry from the University of New South Wales and the Australian Museum, “Only four spider fossils have ever been found throughout the whole continent, which has made it difficult for scientists to understand their evolutionary history. That is why this discovery is so significant, it reveals new information about the extinction of spiders and fills a gap in our understanding of the past”. Megamonodontium mccluskyi’s closest living relative inhabits wet forests from Singapore to Papua New Guinea, suggesting that the species once occupied similar environments in mainland Australia but subsequently went extinct as the continent became more arid.

This discovery provides insights into the extinction of spider species and fills gaps in understanding Australia’s past. It sheds light on the evolutionary history of these arachnids and helps us understand how they adapted to changing environments over time.