In the original description, he tied the name directly to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and “Glass Spider,” and wrote that the spider’s face reminded him of Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust look.
The natural history is just as interesting. Jäger recorded adults on tree bark, while smaller juveniles were found down in leaf litter and up in the foliage of shrubs and trees. That suggests they may shift microhabitats as they grow, starting lower and moving higher with age and size.
He also pointed out that the black and orange contrast resembles the warning colors of some medically significant spiders from completely different families, including yellow sac spiders, Brazilian wandering spiders, and widows. That does not mean they are closely related. It means the pattern is bold enough to send the same kind of visual message.
And the crazy part is that Jäger also said ecological information for this group is generally poor. So even with a spider this cool, we still don't know how much we DON'T KNOW! Will you be the next generation of field researchers to answer these arachnid questions?
#spiders #arachnids #wildlife #nature #science