A furniture shop owner from Greater Kaohsiung has cast new light on a rare arachnid known as the “ogre-faced spider.”
Hsu Kun-chin (許坤金) published his findings on the shedding and mating processes of the Deinopis spider genus in last month’s edition of the 2011 Nature Conservation Quarterly.
His publication in a magazine run by the Executive Yuan’s Endemic Species Research Institute has earned him tremendous feedback.
Photo provided courtesy of Hsu Kun-chin
Taking time out from manning his shop, Hsu joined the Kaohsiung Natural Observation Association (NOA) because of his fascination with gardening and frequently went with other like-minded friends on field trips to take pictures of ecological habitats.
During an observation trip in May 2008, he happened upon a strange type of spider in the mountains around the former Liouguei Township (六龜) that NOA chairman Chen Jen-jie (陳仁杰) later said belonged to the rare Deinopis spider genus.
The Deinopidae family consists of stick-like elongated spiders that weave unusual webs they suspend between their front legs. They then stretch the web to two or three times its initial length and cast it onto their prey, entangling it in their web.
The practice has also earned it the nickname “net-casting spider.”
Hsu said the Deinopis genus of the Deinopidae family is quite rare, both in Taiwan and abroad.
Because Deinopis are nocturnal and brown-colored, they are extremely difficult to notice when they hide amid trees in daytime, Hsu said, adding that to study the unique habits of the Deinopis more closely, he had visited the mountains 23 times.
“Though I often encountered boars and poisonous snakes on those trips, I never wavered from my goal,” Hsu said, adding that he had also brought some Deinopis spiders back home to keep.
The spiders’ nocturnal habits initially created problems for Hsu’s family, but they eventually came to support his passion after seeing how engrossed he was in his research.
During his research, Hsu discovered that the shedding process of the Deinopis did not match the description in textbooks.
Even more rare, Hsu managed to take pictures of the male Deinopis weaving a sperm web, which is used for mating.
The Deinopis’ mysterious comings and goings, as well as its particular way of hunting, are a fascinating subject, Hsu said, adding that he hoped that by sharing his observations with the public, more people would develop an interest in, and a desire to protect, the rare arachnid.
TRANSLATED BY JAKE CHUNG, STAFF WRITER
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
The Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union yesterday vowed to protest at the EVA Air Marathon on Sunday next week should EVA Airway Corp’s management continue to ignore the union’s petition to change rules on employees’ leave of absence system, after a flight attendant reportedly died after working on a long-haul flight while ill. The case has generated public discussion over whether taking personal or sick leave should affect a worker’s performance review. Several union members yesterday protested at the Legislative Yuan, holding white flowers and placards, while shouting: “Life is priceless; requesting leave is not a crime.” “The union is scheduled to meet with
‘UNITED FRONT’ RHETORIC: China’s TAO also plans to hold weekly, instead of biweekly, news conferences because it wants to control the cross-strait discourse, an expert said China’s plan to expand its single-entry visa-on-arrival service to Taiwanese would be of limited interest to Taiwanese and is a feeble attempt by Chinese administrators to demonstrate that they are doing something, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said the program aims to facilitate travel to China for Taiwanese compatriots, regardless of whether they are arriving via direct flights or are entering mainland China through Hong Kong, Macau or other countries, and they would be able to apply for a single-entry visa-on-arrival at all eligible entry points in China. The policy aims
The government yesterday donated US$200,000 to the Philippines to support post-earthquake relief and recovery efforts, following a powerful magnitude 6.9 quake that struck Cebu Province late last month, killing at least 72 people and injuring 559 others. The donation was presented earlier yesterday by Representative to the Philippines Wallace Chow (周民淦) to Cherbett Maralit, deputy resident representative of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office, at Taiwan’s representative office in Manila. In his remarks, Chow expressed concern for those affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck the central Philippines on the night of Sept. 30. "We sincerely hope for the earliest possible