Main's Assassin Spider
Zephyrarchaea mainae
Family Archaeidae
Threatened (WA Wildlife Conservation Act)
About
A relict, ancient spider lineage barely 3mm long that ambushes and eats other spiders with its elongated jaws. Its entire known range runs from Torndirrup National Park, where it was first collected, west to Walpole-Nornalup and east to Bremer Bay.
How to spot it
Minute size (about 3mm), a raised, hump-backed carapace, and six small tubercles on the abdomen arranged in pairs. Found in leaf litter under dense coastal heath — a 2008 survey confirmed it still inhabits Torndirrup.
Found in
- Torndirrup National Park
Source: Wikipedia: Main's assassin spider
Michael G. Rix and Mark S. Harvey, Western Australian Museum, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons