New species of exotic jumping spider spotted in Cornwall

Brits have been warned to be on the lookout for an exotic jumping spider invasion after a new species was spotted in Cornwall. The tiny jumper, Anasaitis milesae, measures less than 3mm long, and was first seen on the University of Exeter's Penryn campus grounds, before later appearing at another location 30 miles away.

This little arachnid has no other recorded sightings globally - but is said to be related to another species of Caribbean critters, suggesting it hitched a ride to the UK via plant imports, The Mirror reports.

The spider bears the name of Claire Miles, courtesy of Dmitri Logunov, a jumping spider expert who honoured his late colleague with the moniker. And with climate change and bustling international trade, Britain could see more unfamiliar tropical spiders, says another spider specialist.

Read next:

Pedestrian fighting for life after two people hit by BMW

'I regret buying home on 'Gypsy Billionaire's' Cornish site as sewage bubbles up and bills are huge'

These newcomers might threaten local British species, according to Dr Helen Smith, from the British Arachnological Society, who told the Guardian: "As new, exotic species spread, particularly beyond urban areas, the chances of them impacting on less common native species increase.

"As well as competing for prey and for living spaces, these spiders may bring with them new parasites and diseases, an issue well known from invasive grey squirrels and crayfish but very poorly studied in spiders."

Anasaitis milesae is not the only far-flung species to have gained a foothold, as about 50 non-native spiders have now been recorded in Britain. Cornwall and Devon are hotspots for new spiders, thanks to their ports and mild climate, with the absence of frost in some areas allowing exotic species to survive the British winter.

Tylan Berry, Devon and Cornwall area organiser for the British Arachnological Society, has identified a large population of another non-native spider, the grey house spider (Badumna longinqua) in Plymouth. This large spider hails from New South Wales, Australia, and is considered one of the most invasive spider species in some countries where it has been accidentally introduced.

He told the Guardian: “It’s incredibly well-established in Plymouth. I was really taken aback. It’s spread over a 6km/sq area and in some places is the dominant species.”

Meanwhile, the tube web spider, a non-native spider familiar to the Mediterranean region, is also now found in a number of towns and cities across the south of England after initially being discovered in Bristol. They are identified from their cylindrical tubes of cobwebs, which are often set up in between rocks or brickwork. It's best not to disturb their webs, however, as their bite is venomous, though is known to only be painful, rather than fatal, to humans.

There are only three types of biting spiders in total, and no poisonous or killer spiders, in the UK.