1000731英文作業-Shop owner’s findings on rare spider praised

Shop owner’s findings on rare spider praised

店主人發現稀有的蜘蛛

A furniture shop owner from Greater Kaohsiung has cast new light on a rare arachnid known as the “ogre-faced spider.”

一個來自大高雄的家具店老闆對名為「食人魔之臉」的稀有節枝動物有了新發現。

Hsu Kun-chin (許坤金) published his findings on the shedding and mating processes of the Deinopis spider genus in last month’s edition of the 2011 Nature Conservation Quarterly.

許坤金在最新一期的2010年自然保護期刊中，發表了關於鬼面蛛的孵育及生產過程的新發現。

His publication in a magazine run by the Executive Yuan’s Endemic Species Research Institute has earned him tremendous feedback.

他所發表的內容已經引起行政院特有動物研究所的密切注意。

Taking time out from manning his shop, Hsu joined the Kaohsiung Natural Observation Association (NOA) because of his fascination with gardening and frequently went with other like-minded friends on field trips to take pictures of ecological habitats.

工作之餘的時間，因為喜歡園藝，並且經常與其他同好實地考察生態棲息地，許加入了高雄自然觀察聯誼會(NOA)。

During an observation trip in May 2008, he happened upon a strange type of spider in the mountains around the former Liouguei Township (六龜) that NOA chairman Chen Jen-jie (陳仁杰) later said belonged to the rare Deinopis spider genus.

在2008年五月的一次保護行程中，他在六龜副近的山區偶然發現了一種特殊類型的蜘蛛，而NOA的主席陳仁杰很快的說那是屬於罕見的鬼面蛛品種。

The Deinopidae family consists of stick-like elongated spiders that weave unusual webs they suspend between their front legs. They then stretch the web to two or three times its initial length and cast it onto their prey, entangling it in their web.

鬼面蛛家族會將特殊的蜘蛛網掛在前腳上。牠們會延伸蜘蛛網成平常兩到三倍的長度以糾纏住他們捕食的獵物。

The practice has also earned it the nickname “net-casting spider.”

這種習性也讓他們有了「撒網蜘蛛」的暱稱。

Hsu said the Deinopis genus of the Deinopidae family is quite rare, both in Taiwan and abroad.

許說這種蜘蛛無論在台灣還是國外都很罕見。

Because Deinopis are nocturnal and brown-colored, they are extremely difficult to notice when they hide amid trees in daytime, Hsu said, adding that to study the unique habits of the Deinopis more closely, he had visited the mountains 23 times.

因為鬼面蛛的夜行性習性及深褐色保護色，當他們白天躲在樹上時，確實很難被發現。許表示，這種鬼面蛛家族獨特的習性，他已經照訪那座山二十三次。

“Though I often encountered boars and poisonous snakes on those trips, I never wavered from my goal,” Hsu said, adding that he had also brought some Deinopis spiders back home to keep.

「雖然這些旅程中，我常常遇到山豬和毒蛇，但我從未動搖過。」許說，為了這個目標他也帶了一些鬼面蛛回家飼養。

The spiders’ nocturnal habits initially created problems for Hsu’s family, but they eventually came to support his passion after seeing how engrossed he was in his research.

蜘蛛的夜行性習性一開始也困擾了許的家人，但看見許有多醉心於他的發現後，他們還是支持了他。

During his research, Hsu discovered that the shedding process of the Deinopis did not match the description in textbooks.

在他的研究中，許發現鬼面蛛的孵育習性並不同於教科書上的描述。

Even more rare, Hsu managed to take pictures of the male Deinopis weaving a sperm web, which is used for mating.

雖然很難，許計畫把母鬼面蛛為了交配而織的「受精網」照下來。

The Deinopis’ mysterious comings and goings, as well as its particular way of hunting, are a fascinating subject, Hsu said, adding that he hoped that by sharing his observations with the public, more people would develop an interest in, and a desire to protect, the rare arachnid.

鬼面蛛的秘密繼續流傳，還有牠們關於狩獵的特殊習性也是個受注目的專題，許說，他希望能藉由分享他的經驗給公眾，更多人能對此更有興趣，並且希望能保護這稀有的節枝動物。

TRANSLATED BY JAKE CHUNG, STAFF WRITER