SYDNEY, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- A new species of spider has been discovered on Lord Howe Island, 780 km off Australia's east coast.
The discovery was made by Dr. Barbara Baehr, a Queensland Museum arachnologist who found the one- centimeter spider while researching records in the facility's collection.
What makes the ant-eating spider unlike others is its unique genitalia.
"The genitals work like a lock and key together making each one specific to the species," Barbara told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Dr. Baehr named the spider Nosterella pollardi, after a friend called Peter Pollard.
"Being honored with a named species of spider was amazing," he said.
This is not the first time the arachnologist has discovered a new species, during her career she has found eight previously unknown spiders.
"Australia has half a million species of animals and 70 percent of them are not described or known," she said.
"I'm a bit of a spider woman and I see this as my contribution to the knowledge to the country's wild state."
