ARACHNID experts have hailed the ‘spectacular’ discovery of a rare high-altitude money spider in a mini-forest in the Great Glen.
The discovery of an adult male of the species Hilaira nubigena, at Trees for Life’s Dundreggan Conservation Estate in Glenmoriston, is the FIrst record of the spider west of the Great Glen for 25 years.
The spider has been recorded from damp moorland above 400m and up to 700m, but little is known about its habits. It may be characteristic of high-altitude habitats such as ‘montane woodland’ – a waist-high mini-forest found on mountainsides, which is home to a unique range of species.