Peacock Tarantula

Why in News?

The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department has started a conservation status survey for the unique and rare Peacock Tarantula in the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR).

• Scientific Name – Poecilotheria metallica, the only blue color spider species of this genus.
• Common Name – It is also called the Gooty Sapphire or Metallic Tarantula.
• Family – Theraphosidae
• Habitat – It is an arboreal spider, meaning it lives in mature trees, hiding in crevices and holes in old deciduous forests.
• Distribution – It is found only in a small patch of deciduous forest in Andhra Pradesh (endemic), limited to less than 100 square kilometres in the Eastern Ghats.
• Discovery – First recorded in 1898, and later rediscovered in places like the Seshachalam hills.

Key Features

• Size – Adult spiders belonging to the species can reach about 15–20 cm in leg span.
• Appearance – It is known for its beautiful metallic blue colour and intricate yellow and white patterns covering its body.

• Behaviour – It is skittish and nocturnal, preferring to flee or hide unless provoked, where it may adopt a defensive posture.
• Diet – It preys on insects, small reptiles, and other arthropods.
• Predator type – The tarantula is also called an ambush predator that waits for insects to pass by and gets the jump on them to complete its hunt.
• Ecological role – The loss of mature trees not only reduces shelter but also affects the broader microhabitats that sustain the tarantula’s prey.
• Because the spider depends on mature, old-growth trees, even small changes in the forest can harm its survival.
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN - Critically Endangered
• Population – The spider's exact population size is not well known, but experts believe it is significantly declining.
• Threats – Habitat loss due to logging, firewood collection, and forest degradation, & Illegal collection for the international pet trade.

References

1. The Hindu | Peacock Tarantula in spotlight after Pawan Kalyan post
2. India Today | An Old World rare blue spider catches attention in Andhra