Amazing new species of Tarantula shines like an electric-blue jewel

 

A new species of tarantula found scurrying around Thailand’s forests shines with dazzling blue highlights.

Its discoverers have named the beast Chilobrachys natanicharum, saying it is the first tarantula ever identified living in Thailand’s mangroves. Finds like these highlight the value of conserving these natural habitats, where unique species have carved out small but important ecological niches.

In fact, the spider had been known for some time in the exotic spider trade, where it was referred to as the electric blue tarantula. However, it had not been formally described, nor did the researchers know where the species had its home.

Following the discovery last year of the first tarantula in Thailand known to make its home in bamboo stalks, a Thai team led by arachnologist Narin Chomphuuang of Khon Kaen University embarked on an expedition to find these blue beauties.

Oh hello, little friend. (Narin Chomphuang)

“The first specimen we found was on a tree in the mangrove forest,” Chomphuwang says.

“These tarantulas live in hollow trees, and the difficulty of capturing an electric blue tarantula lies in the need to climb a tree and coax it out of a complex of depressions in the middle of damp and slippery conditions. During our expedition, we walked in the evening and at night during low tide and managed to collect only two of them.”

Blue is one of the rarest colors to appear in nature. Blue flowers are rare; blue leaves are non-existent. This is because blue pigment is extremely rare and difficult for plants to make. Most blue flowers are the result of the mixture of other pigments.

Blue can be found in animals, primarily in birds, fish and insects such as butterflies. There are several species of tarantula that also have blue color. In this case, the vivid blues are not the result of pigment; rather, they are produced by structural staining. This is when tiny, nanoscopic structures reflect the light in such a way that it shines blue and violet.

Who is a beautiful spider? (Yuranan Nanthaisong)

The secret behind the blue color of tarantulas was only discovered a few years ago, and it is fascinating. Different species of tarantulas around the world, from distant branches of the tarantula family tree, all appear to glow the same vibrant shade of electric blue, even though the nanostructures responsible are different.

We still don’t know how or why this is the case, but observing how species in different habitats are patterned and how they use their blue color may be useful in finding out.

Chilobrachys natanicharum has vivid blue and violet markings on its legs, pedipalps and chelicerae that flash and glitter when the spider raises its legs, a stance tarantulas adopt defensively or during courtship. Recent research has also found that blue tarantulas can perceive the vivid blue color of their conspecifics.

This suggests that the beautiful colors on Chilobrachys natanicharum is used in spider-to-spider communication, but it cannot be definitely distinguished without further investigation.

frameborder=”0 allow=”accelerometer; automatic playback; clipboard-write; encrypted media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” allow fullscreen>What we do know is that Chilobrachys natanicharum appears to be one of the rarest known tarantula species and that the mangrove forests it inhabits are threatened by deforestation.

“The electric blue tarantula demonstrates remarkable adaptability. These tarantulas can thrive in arboreal as well as terrestrial burrows in evergreen forests. However, when it comes to mangrove forests, their habitat is limited to staying inside tree burrows due to the influence of tides,” Chomphuang says .

“It is essential for the general public to understand the importance of taxonomy as a fundamental aspect of research. Taxonomy plays a vital role, from the basics, such as when people ask on social media for the name of a spider, to performing decisive research aimed at preserving these species from extinction.”

A paper describing the species has been published in ZooKeys.

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Image Source : www.sciencealert.com

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