Mo Ganji: Desertas Wolf Spider | Desertas-Wolfsspinne | Hogna ingens | No. 070/250 from work group 8/99

Desertas Wolf Spider | Desertas-Wolfsspinne | Hogna ingens

Mo Ganji’s single line engages with the Desertas wolf spider — a large, ground-dwelling arachnid endemic to a small Atlantic island — as a gesture of reduction that allows presence to surface without description. The continuous line offers only a sparse indication of form, one that may suggest a spider yet remains open to other readings. By removing what is superfluous, the drawing creates space for essence to emerge before the mind fixes the being within a category.

Hogna ingens is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. The species is restricted to Deserta Grande, part of the Madeira archipelago, where it inhabits a highly limited and degraded landscape. Once thought extinct, it was rediscovered in the late 20th century, but its population remains extremely small and confined to a single area.

The main threats include habitat degradation caused by introduced grazing animals, invasive plant species, and the resulting loss of native vegetation that supports the spider’s prey base. Because the entire population exists in one restricted location, it is highly vulnerable to environmental change and stochastic events. Conservation efforts focus on habitat restoration and strict protection of the remaining ecosystem.

Ganji’s single line invites a moment of attention to a presence easily overlooked. In the pared-down contour, the spider appears beyond fear or symbolism, reminding us that the tendency to place ourselves outside nature blinds us to how closely our actions shape even the most unseen lives, and how deeply we remain part of the same fragile web.