© Natural History Museum Bern
Guriurius minuano is the 50,000th spider species recorded by the World Spider Catalog (WSC), headquartered at the Natural History Museum in Bern. At least as much remains to be discovered, according to specialists.
The new species, from South America, was discovered by arachnologist Kimberly S. Marta and Brazilian colleagues, the museum said in a statement Wednesday. It is part of the family of salticides, jumping spiders, and owes its name to an extinct tribe of the region, the Minuane.
Since the scientific description of the first spider in 1757, the rate of discovery of new species has steadily increased. According to the specialists of the WSC, there is once again so much to discover. The current catalog is freely accessible on the museum’s website.