New type of jumping spider found on Thirroul recycling bin

Australia is home to a hugely diverse population of spiders, and it’s about to grow by one after a woman’s surprise discovery on her recycling bin.

A former zookeeper has discovered what appears to be a new type of spider as she took the bins out at her home south of Sydney.

Amanda De George spotted the bright blue eyes of the tiny jumping spider moving along her recycling bin at Thirroul, near Wollongong south of Sydney, in June posting it to a Facebook group of spider fans and scientists seeking help to identify it.

One member of the Australian Spider Identification Page is Museums Victoria taxonomist Joseph Schubert, who informed Ms De George she’d stumbled across a previously unknown species.

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Amanda De George spotted the new spider on her recycling bins. Picture: Amanda De George / Facebook

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Ms De George captured the spider after more than three months of searching her garden, and sent it via express post to Mr Schubert’s Melbourne home for him to take a better look.

Mr Schubert recently identified seven different types of spider but said at the time there was likely more out there we didn’t know about.

Mr Schubert is now in the process of writing a paper identifying the new spider, and it’s possible that it could be named after Ms De George in the process.

“It’s really cool to think that I’ve been able to contribute something to science,” Ms De George told the Sydney Morning Herald, describing the find as “the pinnacle for me”.

“It’s all downhill from here,” she said.