A rare spider described as a “master of disguise” has been sighted in the UK.<\/p>\n
Tylan Berry, county spider recorder for the British Arachnological Society, said the “nationally rare” lichen running spider was sighted near Cornwall.<\/p>\n
The “amazing looking” creature with its “incredible colour and camouflage” is “incredibly difficult to spot”, according to Berry.<\/p>\n
See the spider below.<\/strong><\/p>\n “The spiders love to sit on branches covered in lichen in wait for prey, perfectly camouflaged,” he explained to the BBC.<\/a><\/p>\n The spider has been spotted just a “handful” of times, he said, with other sightings at Lanhydrock, Cabilla and Redrice Cornwall Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve.<\/p>\n “It was very exciting when I was passed details of a possible sighting at Lanhydrock four or five years ago and it took me a further two years to find another.”<\/p>\n Mr Berry said the spider, scientific name Philodromus Margaritatus, required mature trees, often oaks, hawthorn and pines, that are covered in lichen.<\/p>\n These are often in open areas such as heaths, parkland and woodland edges, he added.<\/p>\n They reside in “scattered pockets” between Cornwall and Surrey in the south of Britain, and in the Caledonian pine forests in Scotland.<\/p>\n He said: “There is no evidence of the spider living anywhere between these two hugely separated areas”<\/p>\n Recommended reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n The UK’s biggest spider that might be lurking in buildings<\/a><\/p>\n Spider season: BBC researcher confirms tarantulas are in UK<\/a><\/p>\n