Two new spider species found in Mount Makiling

A father-daughter team of entomologists from the UP Los Baños Museum of Natural History have discovered two new spider species on Mount Makiling.
 

According to a post on the museum's website, Dr. Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo and Dr. Alberto T. Barrion, both curators at the MNH Entomology Section, discovered Prolochus junlitjri and Chrysso makiling, discoveries that highlight the mountain's importance as a biodiverse area.

Prolochus junlitjri was described in the journal Philippine Entomologist as an orb-weaver spider that was found in the Molawin Creek in Mount Makiling. It’s the second known species for the genus Prolochus, extending its distribution from Myanmar to the Philippines.

 

Chrysso makiling, a comb-footed spider, was described in the journal Asia Life Sciences. It was collected from small trees and shrubs near the Mudspring area of the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve. C. makiling is the seventh Chrysso species recorded in the Philippines, and the 33rd known species worldwide.

 

“The discovery of the two species of spiders in Mt. Makiling even further fortifies the importance of the Makiling Forest Reserve as a key biodiversity conservation area,” said Dr. Ireneo Lit, Jr., director of the Museum of Natural History.

 

Because of a large number of biological species on the mountain, several of which are considered threatened, Mt. Makiling was chosen as the Philippines’ 5th ASEAN Heritage Park and the 33rd in the ASEAN region.

 

“Spiders also deserve to be conserved and protected especially because they help farmers maintain the populations of pest species below economically damaging levels,” Dr. Lit said.
— Bea Montenegro/JDS/TJD, GMA News