Arachnologist finds new spider species and survives snake bite in Primorye

Arachnologist Alexander Fomichev visited the Far East this summer on a working trip. Together with companions, he explored Primorsky Krai, which he considers one of the most amazing regions in Russia from a zoological perspective. The scientist went there on a short «home» expedition and, as always, did not return without discoveries.

Read about new species, a snake bite, and an encounter with a tropical bird in the interview with NGS22.RU.

«Unique combinations»

Alexander visited Primorye for the fifth time. He first went there in 2019.

— The region is interesting for two reasons. First, there is a mix of fauna: Siberian, subtropical, and even tropical Indo-Malayan. For example, tigers and bears, firs and lianas. Such unique combinations at the crossroads of corridors, — he explained.

Second, the region has a high level of endemism — many species are found only there.

— In Western Siberia, the animal world is based on widespread species that can be found in many places. There are, of course, some tricky spots that are local and not obvious, hard to pinpoint. But in Primorye, such places are everywhere, — added the scientist.

The trip took three weeks. Along with Alexander, his wife Elizaveta went to the Far East, as well as another arachnologist, Mikhail Omelko, with whom he had already traveled to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The scientist was also accompanied by his wife Valeria.

— Strictly speaking, this can hardly be called an expedition; it was quite light and entertaining. We lived in cottages, not tents. For a normal person, this is definitely not a vacation, but for us it is, — shared the arachnologist.

During this trip, the researchers focused mainly on the south of Khasansky District, where the village of Khasan is located on the Tumannaya River.

— Beyond that is only North Korea. We were mainly in the area of Golubiny Utes hill, just 150 meters high. It«s a mountain in the middle of swamps. And further north, at Cape Gamova. There, nature is different: low hills piled one on another, — said Alexander.

These places, as the hero explains, are like islands amidst swamps that were once the seabed. The fauna here has formed over centuries, preserving its uniqueness.

— What lives there cannot live in the surrounding swamps. And it cannot even move to a neighboring hill because, like my spiders, it moves on foot, — he noted.

New spider, rare crab, and a frigatebird from the tropics

Specimen collection followed the classic approach. The scientists searched for everything, but only spiders were preserved in alcohol; the rest were just photographed.

— There were no special methods. Night searching with a flashlight because they come out mostly in the dark. Soil traps, just cups buried in the ground and filled with water and soap solution. Sifting through leaf litter where it existed, — explained the hero.

However, despite the apparent simplicity of the trip, much interesting material was gathered.

— In one location, there can be up to fifty spider species. Of course, most are known, but the chance of encountering something new is also much higher here, — said Alexander.

Currently, one of the Primorye spiders has been preliminarily identified as new to science, but confirmation will only come after microscopic analysis.

— Usually, you can«t immediately tell that something is unknown. When I went to the Pamirs in Tajikistan, I knew the main goal in advance. From previous research, I found that certain spider species exist at such high altitudes. And I wasn»t wrong: the result was a new genus of wolf spiders. But that rarely happens. More often, you just collect blindly, — emphasized the scientist.

Apart from spiders, the researchers noticed tracks of the endangered Amur leopard, photographed a spotted seal (largha), and found a raccoon dog nest with pups. However, the most unexpected encounter was an Ariel frigatebird.

— This is a tropical bird of the open seas. The closest place where it regularly lives is the Philippines. In the Far East, it has been found only once every few decades, — added the arachnologist.

Among invertebrates, the biologist was particularly impressed by the Japanese horseshoe crab (tachypleus tridentatus) — a relict creature from the Tertiary period. It has been found in fossil form, and live specimens appear once every few decades.

«Sooner or later it happens»

Alexander emphasizes that there are no spider species deadly to humans in the Far East.

— Large arachnids that we don«t have bite there. They are the size of a walnut and bite through to the bone with a crunch; the wound may swell and become inflamed, but that»s it. There are also local tarantulas. They are smaller than ours and can bite seriously. But there«s no danger from it, only to the psyche, so to speak, — he noted.

However, Alexander«s trip was not without incidents. First, he was bitten by a tarantula, and then by a Ussuri mamushi (Gloydius ussuriensis).

— I professionally study spiders, but my passion is herpetology. I never miss an opportunity to catch snakes, photograph them, and study them. Then I always release them back. So, of course, I brought the snake bite on myself, — shared the scientist.

The biologist emphasizes that Golubiny Utes is perhaps the largest snake settlement in terms of both diversity and number of specimens in the Far East.

— I caught various ones from everywhere there. And toward the end of the first week, I carelessly grabbed one of them. I usually never do that, but sooner or later it happens. The snake was just defending itself, — emphasized the arachnologist.

The snake bit him on the right hand, swelling reached the armpit, and the limb temporarily lost its function.

— Normal people spend a week in intensive care after that, but I continued walking 15 km a day. My wife treated me: drained blisters, changed dressings. We healed ourselves, — told the hero.

Overall, as Alexander notes, this expedition was not as tough: the researchers lived in cottages at local recreation centers rather than in tents.

— Usually, my trips are more serious: we storm the peaks of the Sikhote-Alin, but here everything was civilized and easy. But the results are probably no worse, — stated the biologist.

In the near future, Alexander plans to sort through the materials from the trip. However, he does not intend to forget about large expeditions and may possibly head to Equatorial Africa.