A new species of endemc spider described for the Island of São Jorge
- December 10th, 2013
- Biodiversity
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Savigniorrhipis topographicus Crespo, 2013, is a new species is described from the Azores by scientists of Azorean Biodiversity Group (CITA-A).
This new species of spider with only 1.45 mm is restricted to the Mountain of Topo in São Jorge Island. Given the extremely restricted and increasingly disturbed habitat, S. topographicus new species should be classified as Critically Endangered.
The Topo Natural Reserve is now the top ranked hotspot in Azorean endemic spiders, with 15 of the 24 currently known species and should increase its current protection level to a strict nature reserve.
Topo as one of the most pristine areas of the Azores, and the presence of two single island endemics, Acorigone zebraneus and S. topographicus n. sp., restricted to this forest reveal a great conservation value of this protected area. Yet, this area is currently classified in category V of the IUCN, a protected landscape managed mainly for landscape conservation and recreation, one of the lowest protection levels. We strongly recommend a future change to category I, a wilderness area managed mainly for wilderness protection, so that its natural features can be properly safeguarded.
Read more in http://www.gba.uac.pt/publicacoes/ver.php?id=764
Crespo, L.C., Bosmans, R., Cardoso, P. & Borges, P.A.V. (2013). On the endemic spider species of the genus Savigniorrhipis Wunderlich, 1992 (Araneae: Linyphiidae) in the Azores (Portugal), with description of a new species. Zootaxa, 3745: 330-342. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3745.3.2 (IF: 0.974)