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New spider species discovered in Laos

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Press Trust of India New York
Scientists have discovered a tiny new spider species - measuring just 1 cm across - in Laos, in Southeast Asia.

The spider, named Ctenus monaghani, was discovered crawling across a researcher's path while he was filming a nature documentary.

The little creature measures just 0.4 inches (1 centimetre) across and is part of a genus of wandering spiders.

The wandering spider doesn't lure its prey with a web, instead it hunts and stings prey at night.

Peter Jager, an arachnologist at the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany, was filming "Wild Things" when he noticed the little spider scurry across his path, 'LiveScience' reported.
 

Jager decided to name the species after Dominic Monaghan, an actor in the movie.

However, this isn't the only spider that Jager has discovered while filming his documentary.

In 2012, the researcher found an arachnid with 13-inch-long leg span lurking in caves in the country.

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First Published: Aug 01 2013 | 6:05 PM IST

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