In Depth Eoplectreurys was (and at the time of writing still is) at the time of its description to be the oldest known Haplogynae spider, the genus going back as least as far as the mid Jurassic, while previous examples were only known as far back as the early Cretaceous. This group of spiders is … Read more
In Depth Mongolarachne was originally described in 2011 as Nephila jurassica, a prehistoric species of the Nephila genus of orb weaving spiders that we know today. Nephila jurassica made headlines at the time because it was the largest known spider in the fossil record, though comparable in size to modern golden orb weaver spiders that … Read more
In Depth Palaeoperenethis is genus of nursery web spider that lived in Canada during the Eocene. Nursery web spiders are so named as most members of this group only spin a web to protect their eggs just before they are about to hatch. For the rest of their lives these spiders stalk through vegetation, ambushing … Read more