Groundbreaking scientific discoveries are often right under our noses, waiting to be uncovered.
A Guest Post by Dr.Azhar M.al-Khazali (University of sumer, Iraq) & Tuqa A. A.al-Mshrfawy
For almost 50 years, the ground spider Gnaphosa jodhpurensis was onyl known to exist in India and China, with a possible mention in Pakistan. Since its initial description in 1977, there have been no photographs, illustrations or detailed documentation of this elusive species – until now.
During a biodiversity survey in southern Iraq as part of the MSc research of my student Tuqa A.A. Al-Mshrfawy at the University of Sumer, we made an unexpected discovery. In the semi-desert landscapes of Dhi Qar Province, we collected several specimens of a ground spider that looked remarkably unfamiliar to us. after careful morphological examination and DNA barcoding analysis confirmed our suspicions – it was indeed Gnaphosa jodhpurensis - we were astounded. This was the first record of this species in Iraq and the entire Middle East region, extending its known range by thousands of kilometers westward. Our paper also provides the first-ever photographic documentation and detailed morphological description of this species since it was discovered 48 years ago.
Wow, what a fascinating discovery!