JERUSALEM, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers have discovered a new species of desert burrow-dwelling spiders in the southeastern Arava valley, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) said Monday.
The spider, which constructs silk-lined nests in burrows, was founded by HU and Ben Gurion University's researchers during the five-year monitoring of oil spill effects on the species.
The velvety black spider was named Sahastata aravaensis according to its habitat. It belongs to the Sahastata genus of the Filistatinae family, also known as the crevice weaver family, HU added.
The study analyzed how two oil spills that occurred in 1975 and 2014 in the hyper-arid desert would affect the spider populations and concluded that the incidents pose negative and long-lasting effects.
The researchers proposed that the new spider can be used as a bioindicator of persistent soil pollution in desert habitats. ■
