Media release

From: Edith Cowan University

Rare discovery: Teyl trapdoor spider found in Perth

A rare find has been unearthed in remnant bushland in Perth, with the first record of a Teyl trapdoor spider on the Swan Coastal Plain in 30 years.

Researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) and the University of Western Australia (UWA) made the discovery in bushland at the UWA Field Station, Shenton Park.

Often affectionately referred to as citrine trapdoor spiders, Vice-Chancellor Research Fellow at ECU, Dr Leanda Mason, said Teyl species are known for their small size, glossy sheen and often bright orange or yellow colouring that produces a gem-like appearance.

“First described by the late Professor Barbara York Main, the genus name Teyl is derived from Noongar languages as a sign of respect, and roughly translates into meaning ‘shiny stone’,” Dr Mason said.

“This rare and glittering discovery is a vivid reminder of the hidden living gems persisting within our last remnants of Whadjuk boodja (Swan Coastal Plain bushland).”

Dr Mason expertly excavated a single pregnant female for observation, with the mother and her spiderlings to be re-released back into the same site and monitored to determine ecological requirements.

“This is a precious opportunity to document life history traits, while also allowing a higher proportion of spiderlings to survive to maturity,” Dr Mason said.

“This foundational knowledge will directly inform future conservation actions and management recommendations for this and potentially other cryptic species in an area in desperate need of protection.”

Dr Mason incidentally found the burrows while working with UWA Professor of Botany and Restoration, Kingsley Dixon, near the UWA Field Station laboratory building.

“For almost 50 years I have worked in this bushland and who would have thought such an extraordinary discovery would happen right on our doorstep – literally at the front door to the laboratory,” Professor Dixon said.

“A rare triumph of nature holding on to life.”

Teyl spiders construct open-holed burrows, with very little silk lining rather than having a lid like many other trapdoor spiders.

Dr Mason said this makes the burrows very difficult to distinguish, even by an expert.

“What makes this discovery even more extraordinary is that it appears to be an undescribed species, not yet formally named or studied,” Dr Mason said.

“This little arachnid is more than a scientific curiosity - it is a jewel of biodiversity. These long-lived spiders with ancient Gondwanan lineages, still persist in one of the few remaining patches of native habitat decimated by clearing and rapid land-use change.

“Let this be a call to be humbled, to celebrate and protect the extraordinary life that continues - often unseen - in the smallest pockets of nature around us.”