Canadian scientists describe two newly discovered marine spider species in the Pacific Northwest
Researchers from Canada have identified two previously unknown marine spider species during dives in the Salish Sea.
Canadian marine biologists discovered two new marine spider species in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, specifically in the Salish Sea bordering British Columbia and Washington. The specimens were collected during dives between September 2023 and August 2024 at depths reaching 18 metres. The first species, Callipallene pilosuspedes, is characterized by long curved spines, hair-like structures on its legs, red eyes, three lips, a short proboscis and claw-like nails for grasping prey, and it uses flexible ovigers for cleaning.
The second species, Tanystylum kiixin, was found near an ancient indigenous village site, possesses a hourglass-shaped body, black eyes, stubby claws, and smaller, less dexterous cleaning limbs, making self-grooming less efficient. The findings, based on specimens from Quadra Island, Vancouver, Bamfield and Victoria, appear in Organisms Diversity & Evolution and add to the roughly 1,400 known marine spider species.
Why it matters
The discovery expands knowledge of marine biodiversity and highlights the ecological richness of the Salish Sea.
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