of the Barychelidae family to be found. Similar to the living genus, Monodontium but five times larger, the spider was named after Dr. Simon McClusky who found the specimen. A geospatial scientist based in Canberra, McClusky volunteers his time helping on palaeontological excavations.
"Only four spider fossils have ever been found throughout the whole continent, which has made it difficult for scientists to understand their evolutionary history. That is why this discovery is so significant, it reveals new information about the extinction of spiders and fills a gap in our understanding of the past."
Queensland Museum arachnologist, Dr. Robert Raven, who was the supervising author of the study said this was the largest fossil spider to be found in Australia."Not only is it the largest fossilized spider to be found in Australia but it is the first fossil of the family Barychelidae that has been found worldwide."
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