New Tarantula Species With Golden Hairs Discovered in Iran Through Social Media [See Photos]

Alireza Zamani was fond of petting tarantulas when he was a boy because he found them colorful and big. He later became an arachnologist and taxonomist and discovered a new tarantula species.

New Species of Tarantula: Persian Gold Tarantula

Zamani received a message on Instagram containing a photo of a male tarantula discovered in the diversity hotspot Zagros Mountains of Northwestern Iran. He had been looking for such a spider for years and instantly noticed it belonged to the Chaetopelma genus.

Zamani connected Mehdi Gavahyan, the naturalist who had initially taken the spider images, with another scientific friend from Tehran to obtain a specimen and be sure of his identification of the species in the photograph. The two discovered a female in a silk tunnel in the same mountainous region and sent it to the scientist.

The spider's leg span was roughly 3.5 inches long, or nearly as wide as a man's typical hand. Its back was covered in woolly golden hairs. However, Zamani claims he was particularly intrigued by the spider's sex organs, which are the primary way tarantulas are distinguished. Compared to other Chaetopelma species, these organs were noticeably longer. He immediately realized he had been right to think the tarantula was a different species.

In honor of the spider's golden hairs and its native Iran (also known as Persia), Zamani named it Persian Gold Tarantula. It is only the third known species of tarantula in Iran and the first record of Chaetopelma in the nation. It also represents the easternmost record of the genus within its whole available range. The closest observation of Chaetopelma up to that point had been made more than 200 miles to the west.

Zamani and his co-author's goal is to complete the genus's taxonomy. Their publication also mentioned that one species from Cameroon added to the Chaetopelma genus probably does not belong.

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What Are Tarantulas?

Their huge, hairy bodies and legs make tarantulas scary to some people. However, these spiders are not dangerous to people (apart from a painful bite), and their mild venom is less potent than that of a regular bee. These spiders are becoming common pets among arachnophobes.

Tarantulas molt or shed their external skeletons regularly. During the process, they also regenerate lost appendages and replace internal organs like the stomach lining and female genitalia. Although they move slowly and deliberately, they are skilled nocturnal hunters. Their primary prey is insects, but they can hunt larger animals, including frogs, toads, and mice. As its name suggests, the South American bird-eating spider can even prey on little birds.

According to Zamani, tarantulas, and other spiders are among the most significant bio-controllers of insect populations, eating 400 to 800 million tons of insects annually worldwide. They contribute to preventing the transmission of disease in this way. They can also be prey for some huge birds. It may not be surprising that spider populations worldwide are dropping, given how insect populations are collapsing.

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