Researchers from Masaryk University announced on 7 October 2026 the discovery of two spider species not previously recorded in Czechia.
Researchers from the Faculty of Science of Masaryk University announced on 7 October 2026 the discovery of two spider species that had not previously been recorded in Czechia. They found them while monitoring South Moravian wetlands in the LIFE in Salt Marshes project, which links wetland restoration with research into their biodiversity [1][2][3].
The jumping spider Attulus inexpectus was found by the researchers as two females at the Trkmanec–Rybníčky salt marsh near Rakvice. It was recognised as a separate species in 1997, when it was distinguished from the similar species Attulus rupicola. It lives in lowlands near water, on the coast and in inland salt marshes. The nearest known site lies at Lake Neusiedl in Austria, more than 120 kilometres from Trkmanec. Arachnologist Eva Líznarová of the faculty's Institute of Botany and Zoology said that it is a medium-sized species, so it is unlikely to have been overlooked until now [1][2][3].
One male of the spider Crustulina sticta was caught in May 2025 at the Kosteliska wetland near Dubňany, which belongs to the Hodonínská Dúbrava site of European importance. The species occurs sparsely in Europe, is tied to wetlands and peat bogs, and has been recorded in all of Czechia's neighbouring countries. Líznarová said that its occurrence in Czechia could therefore have been expected [1][3].
In samples from Trkmanec the researchers also confirmed the critically endangered spider Entelecara omissa. In Czechia it had previously been known only from the Lednické rybníky ponds, where it was recorded in 1999 [1][2]. Project leader Marie Kotasová Adámková of the Faculty of Science said, according to Deník, that the find shows the biological value of wetlands and the importance of long-term monitoring [1].
The find does not mean that the species reached southern Moravia only recently, because some spiders are revealed only by targeted, long-term surveys. Neither species is invasive or dangerous to humans [3].
Related articles: Masaryk University, South Moravian Region
Chronology
- — Scientists from Masaryk University announced the discovery of two spider species not previously recorded in Czechia: the jumping spider Attulus inexpectus near Rakvice and the cobweb spider Crustulina sticta near Dubňany in South Moravia. Deník.cz iDNES.cz: Brno
Sources
- Deník.cz — 7 October 2026
- iDNES.cz: Brno — 7 October 2026
- Brněnská Drbna — 8 October 2026