How did mygalomorph spiders get to the Balearic Islands?

 

Trapdoor spiders are robust and hairy, living in tubes protected by a small camouflaged door from where they attack their victims. This group, with sixteen families and more than 2.600 species -among which we can find the tarantula-, are animals of great biogeographical interest for their little capacity of dispersion which makes their distribution reflect the geological and climate difficulties that occur in their habitat. A study of the University of Barcelona showed the origins of the Nemesia, a species of mygalomorph spider spread in the Mediterranean area. According to the study, published in the scientific journal Journal of Biogeography, these species were originated in the Iberian Peninsula and established in the Balearic Islands due the land bridges which linked and separated the islands with the continent in consecutive moments.

The scientific study, led by professor Miquel A. Arnedo and Doctor Elisa Mora, from the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio), also signed by the researchers Angeliki Paspati (UB-IRBio), and Arthur E. Decae, from Ghent University (Belgium).

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