New species of wolf spider found on Deal Island, Bass Straight

A new species of the eight-legged creatures has been found in the state.

Eleven-year-old Murphy Widdowson discovered the new species of wolf spider in 2020 when he was with his parents on Deal Island, Bass Strait.

Murphy asked the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery for identification, but resident spider expert and honorary research associate John Douglas was unable to find a match.

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Mr Douglas became interested in spiders through digital photography and how the medium captured the creatures.

"When you get a macro photo of [a spider] and you can put it up on the screen you suddenly see details [like claws, hair and eyes] that you didn't know existed," he said.

The discovered specimen was sent to spider taxonomist Dr Volker Framenau in Western Australia to be described as a new species.

Acknowledging Murphy's inquisitiveness and contribution, Dr Framenau named the spider after Murphy, calling it the Artoriopsis murphyi.

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Mr Douglas said it was "very common" to find new species of arachnid, but there were few arachnologists in Australia who had the time or ability to describe spiders.

"It looks fairly similar to the look of wolf spiders in this genus ... and it was only really under a microscope you could pick it was a different species [through its unique sex organs]."

For those worried about venomous spiders, Mr Douglas said all but one type of spider was venomous, but they were not venomous to humans.

"This one is five millimetres, if it bit you I doubt you would even feel it if it penetrated your skin," he said.

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