Agroeca istia is a new species of spider described for science, found in Navarre.

Agroeca istiaof the family Liocranidae, is a new species of spider described for science, found in the Vedado de Eguaras (Bardenas Reales). This is one of the findings of the research carried out by the Pamplona biologist Gabriel de Biurrun who, in addition, has added 124 new records for Navarra -previously 279 had been cited- and 12 new species for the Iberian Peninsula. The thesis doctoral dissertation, degree scroll "Arañas de Navarra. Diversity and distribution. Digital methods of study" has been directed by Dr. Enrique Baquero, researcher of the Biodiversity and Environment Institute and professor of the School of Sciences of the University of Navarra.  

The Pamplona arachnologist's work consisted of collecting spiders in Quinto Real, El Perdón mountain range and Vedado de Eguaras. This sampling has been carried out every fortnight for a whole year and has made it possible to find out about the diversity of species in Navarre, their geographical and seasonal distribution. "The aim was to obtain information on the three main geographical and climatic areas of the region (mountains, average and Ribera) and on the biodiversity of spiders in their respective biotopes, such as the beech forest, the oak forest and the pine forest of Las Bardenas," says de Biurrun.

Gabriel de Biurrun carries out an informative activity in a school. 

Gabriel has also created a web-based mappingtool that can serve as enquiry of reference letter for arachnologists and also for the knowledge dissemination of science museum collections. Furthermore, the researcher has developed a Raspberry Pi-based macro-photography system, which has been necessary to take photographs of its sampling. "The Raspberry photography system has a multitude of applications, ranging from the purely scientific, both for an academic laboratory and for an amateur naturalist; to its use educational, as an individualised digital imaging system in the classroom".

According to this biologist from Navarre, every day new species of animals disappear - many of them unknown - and for this reason he considers it necessary to finance ecological and zoological programs of study to achieve a greater biodiversity knowledge "It makes no sense to try to control pests biologically if we don't even know the local species and their distribution".

Agroeca istia. 1mm scale.

Bibliographical references

→ de Biurrun, G., Barrientos, J. A. & Baquero, E. (2021). A new species of Agroeca Westring, 1861 from Navarra, Spain (Araneae: Liocranidae). Zootaxa 4941(1): 84-90.