“It just caught my eye the fact that it was different, the size was the first thing I noticed. It’s a fairly large spider.”Te Papa PhD student Shaun Thompson contacted her, identifying the spider as a potential new species. Taranaki Regional Council biodiversity officer Sandra Sánchez and landowner Rob Hooper. Although it might be a long time before the spider would receive its own name, Thompson had suggested it be called the Taranaki trapdoor spider. Sánchez said discovering a new species had been a dream since she was little.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 07, 2026 05:29 UTC