SakshiUnique Anatomy
As clearly stated above, this type of spider has a unique body shape. This kind has a distinctive abdomen that was hard and appeared like a flat disc. It looked like half of an hourglass. The creature has a murky brown color which enables it to get mixed with its surrounding.
First Records
Chinese Hourglass Spider was mentioned in Erya for the first time. Erya is the oldest Chinese dictionary. The description of the creature is given in the 15th chapter of the dictionary. As no recent sighting had witnessed, many people thought it to be extinct. So, No doubt Li had not found any artifact but he just had come across a valuable living relic that nobody knew was existing.
Rare Spider
Nature never ceases to surprise us! The unique body of Chinese Hourglass spider is a striking example of that. He really wanted to know how this wonder of nature got into his orchard? According to Li, the spider resembled a lot to a coin that managed to have two legs. While reading he discovered one more amazing fact about the spider and the answer to his question.
Code Name: Trapdoor
He read that the spider is also called by the name of “trapdoor spider.” These species resides in a burrow under the ground. Interestingly, they use their own tough abdominal disc to shut the entrance to protect themselves from any foreign threat. So, the spider does not need to make extra efforts to build a door as they themselves have it. Well, what made Li’s heart skip a beat was in the next line.
“Cyclocosmia Ricketti”
Zhao Li, entomologist explained to People’s Daily, “The spider is of extreme scientific value.” He continued, “And it is definitely a rare species in Sichuan province.” The scientific name of the spider is Cyclocosmia ricketti and it is rarely found in Sichuan province. However, that wasn’t the best part.
Rare Location
Another surprising fact that he found was that the Hourglass spider is normally spotted in the Zhejiang province. No sighting of this spider had been recorded in the Sichuan. One of the reasons for this could be the harsh cold winters of Sichuan that are more relentless compared to other parts of China. This is true that the spider can put up with cold winters but the one in Sichuan province is quite tough to tolerate.