Newly Discovered Tree-Dwelling Tarantulas are Endangered

The new interesting discovery of the endangered tree dwelling tarantulas signifies how little do we know about the fauna surrounding us.

The study performed by Dr Rogerio Bertani a tarantula specialist and a researcher at the Instituto Butantan in Sao Paulo, Brazil describes the nine new species from Central and Eastern Brazil, including four of the smallest arboreal species ever recorded.

Arboreal Tarantulas inhabit tropical rain forest/forest systems throughout their range i.e Asia, Africa, South and Central America and the Caribbean. The Amazon is their core habitat. Aboreal Tarantulas are lighter and more slender built than the other tarantula groups. Certain species are believed to posses hairs along their legs that act as a partial parachute.  

Unlike their terrestrial kin, arboreal tarantulas only need a thin layer of substrate in their container to provide a natural appearing environment, retain moisture and as material to use to hide their retreats.   They are also know n to have an increased surface area at the ends of their legs, allowing them to better climb different surfaces, while their light build makes them more agile.

"Instead of the seven species formerly known in the region, we now have sixteen," said Dr Bertani. "In a resurrected genus with a mysterious single species known from 1841, we have now five species." "These are the smallest arboreal tarantulas in the world, and their analysis suggests the genus to be very old, so they can be considered relicts of a formerly more widely distributed taxon."

Other discoveries include new species of tarantulas living inside bromeliads. "Only a single species had been known to live exclusively inside these plants and now we have another that specialized in bromeliads as well." A further species was found at the top of table mountains where trees are rare. "This species also inhabits bromeliads, one of the few places for an arboreal tarantula to live that offer water and a retreat against the intense sunlight" he says.

These species are highly endemic and the regions where they live are suffering high pressure from human activities. Therefore, studies for their conservation are necessaries. Furthermore, all these new species are colorful, which could attract the interest for capturing them for the pet trade, constituting another threat.

The results have been published in the open access journal Zookeys.