Built with rubble "sky villa" The bell nest bell spider was first found in Sichuan
Science and Technology Daily Chengdu, May 6 (Li Di Chen Ke) "This spider is called the bell nest bell spider, the name comes from its ability to use silk to hang the collected rubble on the cliff depression, to build a nest as delicate as a hanging bell." On May 6, Zhao Li, director of the Chengdu Huaxi Insect Museum, introduced that a few days ago he photographed a rare spider in a rock wall depression in Qingcheng Mountain, Dujiangyan, Chengdu, Sichuan Province.
According to reports, the "bell nest bell spider", also known as the bell nest spider, belongs to the animal genus of the bulbous spider family. The species was discovered in China in 1990, and was first discovered in Zhejiang. As of now, the recorded distribution areas are Zhejiang, Hubei and Guizhou, and this is the first time that it has been found in Sichuan.
"All the descriptions of the bell nest bell spider are living in the bell nest, hanging in the recesses of the rock wall, and I have observed that in other environments, even the eaves of the cliff structure similar to the natural environment, this spider has not been found." Zhao Li said. He believes that it may be because of the special choice of the bell nest bell spider for the living environment, resulting in the extreme rarity of the species, which is also the only spider in the world known to make a nest using building materials other than its own silk. "As such, the bell nest bell spider has also been placed in the genus Heliospithecus in taxonomy, and it can be seen from the name that the relevant experts have summarized the entire taxon."
According to reports, the bell spider was established in 2015, and there are currently 5 known species in this genus, distributed in Japan, South Korea and China. These spiders are very small, and the body size of all species is recorded to be no more than 3mm. In addition, all species of the genus Bell Spider will make a bell-shaped nest from spider silk and dirt, gravel, branches or grass clippings, with the entrance facing down, usually hiding in the nest, hence the name "Bell Spider".
"Their way of life is very special, and the traditional spider lifestyle classification is not suitable for them, so Japanese experts have separated them into a new taxon." Zhao Li said that as of 2020, there are 69 families, 809 genera and 5084 species of spiders in China; there are 120 families, 4159 genera and 48479 species of spiders in the world. Source: Science and Technology Daily