Jack captures an assassin
On hands and knees with a sieve and a bucket full of patience in the middle of vast bushland in the west of Kangaroo Island, Jack Wilson noticed a tiny blob that would thrust him onto the frontier of scientific discovery.
LEFT: Jack Wilson armed with his camera searches Kangaroo Island bushland for unique ant species.
ABOVE: the endangered Kangaroo Island assassin spider captures its prey. Pic: Dr Jess Marsh
By DANIEL CLARKE
“We’d been searching leaf litter for about four hours looking for these tiny spiders that are only about three or four millimetres in length,” Jack said.
“I was just scanning the trays looking for a little blob because they barely move. My heart started pounding when I first saw it which is kind of funny. I called out to the other researchers and it was very exciting.”
The 17-year-old had just found the unique and critically endangered assassin spider, also called the pelican spider (Zephyrarchaea austini). Following finds by Dr Michael Rix in 2010 and islander Dr Jess Marsh in 2021, Jack is just the third person the world to collect one.
Adding to the significance, Jack was the first to have found a male assassin, with previous discoveries only yielding females. It was the first specimen found as part of a six-week search late last year led by conservation biologist Jane Ogilvie, Dr Marsh and volunteers from across the island.
“It makes me feel a bit proud,” Jack said. “They are a very short-range endemic species which means it’s a significant find and it definitely gets the interest going.”
ABOVE: Jack at home inspecting ants under his microscope and playing video of the assassin spider.
Found only in small patches in the west of the island, the assassin is a member of an ancient group of spiders, with the earliest fossil record in Mongolia some 163 million years ago. They are distinct from other spiders because of their highly modified, elongated, spear-like jaws and elevated head regions on ‘necks’, which are actually extensions of their cephalothorax, the first body section of spiders.
“Their thorax is raised up really high and the fangs are really long,” Jack said. “So they kind of look like a pelican. They are really archaic looking, which is pretty cool. They are often called living fossils because they appear very similar to their ancient ancestors."
They are aptly named assassins because they hunt and kill other smaller spiders for food.
Prior to the 2019/20 bushfires, the species was only known to live in the Western River Wilderness Protection Area on Kangaroo Island, which burnt at high severity.
Fearing the species had been lost forever in the blaze, local invertebrate conservation biologist Dr Jess Marsh, a research fellow at Adelaide University began searching the small patches of unburnt scrub and in 2021 miraculously found two living specimens.
“These spiders live in damp areas of bushland and their range is small so it makes them really vulnerable,” Dr Marsh said. “If a big fire goes through then you can lose the whole range of that animal in one go. And unfortunately, that's what happened to the Kangaroo Island assassin spider in 2019.
ABOVE: Dr Jess Marsh searching for the assassin spider in bushland at the west of the island.
“I sat out surveying for this species because I was concerned. We thought it could have gone extinct. When I found one not far from here it was an amazing feeling. It was like seeing a celebrity. It was probably one of the highlights of my career.
“They are so unusual looking and not like any spider you've ever seen. These are special areas and we need to continue to search and work on ways to protect it.
“It's really important that we let the landholders know that they've got these nationally threatened, critically endangered spiders on their properties. They face a lot of threats and to be honest, the species is on a knife edge.”
Dr Marsh congratulated Jack on his find, saying his enthusiasm for insects and invertebrates was inspiring.
“It’s literally like finding a microscopic needle in a haystack,” she said. “To find one of these spiders is brilliant and immensely exciting so well done to him.
“A lot of people don't really like spiders and aren't interested so it really makes me happy to see his commitment. I love when younger people care and are enthusiastic.”
Jack, who has deferred a Bachelor of Science at Flinders University while working on his family farm and at the blowfly eradication facility, said a love of ants from a young age had led him to volunteering in the search for the assassin.
“I’ve always enjoyed searching and finding different types of ants – I’ve collected over 100 different species already,” he said.
“As I've gotten older I’ve just found video games and all that kind of thing are just not as fun as going outside and spending time in the bush looking for interesting animals. So yeah, I guess you’d call it a proper hobby now.”
Jack and Dr Marsh will feature in an upcoming documentary series about conservation work on Kangaroo Island which will be released later this year.
