One benefit of the Israel-Jordan peace treaty, signed 15 years ago, was that it allowed for scientific cooperation and exchanges between the countries.Among the more recent cooperative efforts is a cross-border study in the Arava Valley involving biologists at the University of Haifa and colleagues from Jordan. “We were very happy finally to be able to see what kind of diversity there is on the other side of the border,” said Uri Shanas, a biologist at the university’s Oranim campus. They are looking, in part, at ecological differences between the Israeli side, with its more Western-style agricultural economy, and the nomadic land management on the Jordanian side.
But in the process, the researchers discovered something else: a new species of desert spider.
The spider, Cerbalus aravensis, was collected in the Sands of Samar, a dune area on the Jordanian border. C. aravensis is large by spider standards — up to five inches across — and lives in a small burrow in the sand, reinforcing the walls with silk. The spider covers the burrow with a door of sorts, made of sand-encrusted silk. “It completely conceals the entrance,” Dr. Shanas said.
The scientists have yet to learn much about the spider’s habits, though presumably it consumes insects and, given its size, perhaps small geckos. But Dr. Shanas said time might be running out as its habitat was endangered. The dunes are being quarried for construction material. “They’re really under great threat,” he said. “There’s almost nothing left.”
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