Creepy new ‘assassin’ spider discovered in Queensland

A new species of spider with spear-like legs has been discovered in Queensland, and it has a rather odd surprise.

Scientists have discovered a new spider species – and the animals are looking for their next meal.

Dubbed Whitsunday hinterland pelican spiders, these creatures are a “bizarre group” of predators found in Australia, according to a new study.

Over the past year, Australian researchers visited Conway National Park in the Whitsundays, Queensland, several times to survey local wildlife and search for pelican spiders, also known as Austrarchaea.

Pelican spiders, which are sometimes referred to as “assassin spiders”, feed on other creatures by capturing and manipulating them with their “long, spear-like” legs, according to a study published on May 14 in the peer-reviewed Australian Journal of Taxonomy.

The experts were searching for the “poorly researched” pelican spiders in the park and found eight unfamiliar-looking spiders, the study said.

The researchers then realised they had discovered a new species.

Austrarchaea andersoni, or the Whitsunday hinterland pelican spider, has a reddish-brown colour and an unusual body shape, the study reports.

Whitsunday hinterland pelican spiders were discovered in Conway National Park. Picture: G. Anderson and M. Rix

When its legs are extended, the spider’s unusual physique is on show. Picture: G. Anderson and M. Rix

The spiders are just over 0.2cm long and have two pairs of “rudimentary horns” and “hump-like” bumps on their abdomens.

Pictures in the study show the spiders perched on a branch. The creatures are able to pull in and extend their legs.

When the spider’s legs are pulled in, the predatory animal appears compact – but extending its legs shows the spider’s unusual physique.

The species’ common name refers to the park where it was discovered. Picture: G. Anderson and M. Rix

The spiders are being preserved in ethanol at the Queensland museum. Picture: G. Anderson and M. Rix

The scientists identified the new species by the spiders’ physical features including its body shape compared to other pelican spiders.

The study reports that the spiders live in the leaves on the rainforest ground.

So far, the creatures have only been found in the Queensland park where they were first discovered.

Researchers said Austrarchaea andersoni is called “andersoni” after arachnologist Greg Anderson, who first collected the spiders in 2023.

The species’ common name refers to the park where it was discovered.

The Whitsunday hinterland pelican spiders examined in the study are now being preserved in 75 per cent ethanol at the Queensland Museum in South Brisbane.

Researchers have not yet provided a DNA analysis of the new species.

This story originally appeared on The Sun and was republished with permission.