News Briefs: Water Treatment Plant Worker Finds Rare Species of Spider

A rare species of spider called Crossopriza lyoni was recently found at Missouri American Water’s central water treatment plant in Chesterfield on the banks of the Missouri River. It is only the second documented location of the spider in the St. Louis area, after the Missouri Botanical Garden. “The water treatment plant provides a humid, stable environment in which this species, only recently found in Missouri, can thrive,” says David Bruns of the Missouri Department of Conservation. “Although this introduced species is native to Asia, it is apparently serving a role to biologically control unwanted insect pests within the water treatment