Rare and tiny high-altitude spider found in Highlands

INVERNESS-SHIRE: Creature has only been recorded at 14 sites across Scotland

A rare high-altitude money spider has been found at a biodiversity-rich “lost world” in Inverness-shire.

The tiny adult male creepy-crawlie, scientifically-named “Hilaira nubigena” and measuring barely a fifth of an inch from end-to-end, was spotted at a native forest restoration site near Loch Ness, run by eco-charity Trees for Life.

The finding, on the organisation’s Dundreggan Conservation Estate at Glenmoriston, represents the first record of the spider west of the Great Glen for more than 25 years.

The elusive arachnid was found on damp moorland between the 400m and 700m contours. Little is known about its habits.

Arachnid recorder Edward Milner, who has been studying spiders in Scotland for more than 20 years, said it may be “characteristic” of high-altitude habitats such as “montane woodland” – waist-high mini-forests found on mountainsides, home to a unique range of species.

Mr Milner, who identified the spider, said: “This really spectacular find shows that the habitat at Dundreggan is rather special.

“Some of the spider species that we find in the montane woodland on the estate are also found in the Arctic.

“They are adapted to surviving the extreme conditions that we can experience here.

“I last saw this spider near the summit of Liathach (3,461ft) in Wester Ross in June 1986.”

The few recent records of Hilaira nubigena in Scotland are all from south of the Great Glen, with a few records from mountains on the west coast. It has only been recorded from 14 sites throughout Scotland, including a recent one above 500m in the Carrifran Valley near Moffat.

Doug Gilbert, operations manager at Dundreggan, said: “Discovering another rare species in this corner of the Highlands highlights why it is so important to protect and restore the Caledonian Forest.”

The very rare Hilaira nubigena spider found near Loch Ness.