Number 16 (spider)

Number 16
A Gaius villosus specimen in the Australian Museum.
SpeciesGaius villosus
SexFemale
Born1972 or 1973
North Bungulla Reserve, Western Australia
Died2016 (aged about 43)
North Bungulla Reserve, Western Australia
Known forSubject of long-term monitoring project; oldest known spider[1]

Number 16 (c. 1974 – 2016), also known as #16,[1] was a wild female trapdoor spider (Gaius villosus, family Idiopidae) that lived in North Bungulla Reserve near Tammin, Western Australia. She lived an estimated 43 years and became the longest-lived spider on record, beating a 28-year-old tarantula who previously held the title.[1] When Number 16 died in 2016, it was not of old age but from a parasitic wasp sting.[2]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference 2018paper was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "World's oldest known spider dies at 43 after a quiet life underground". www.theguardian.com. Agence France-Presse. 30 April 2018.