New research from the University of Georgia suggests the invasive arachnids could start crawling through most of the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S.
Scientists recently announced a new species of tarantula found crawling through the forests of the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona. Their discovery could hint that more tarantula species may exist in the poorly sampled mountain range.
Dubbed Aphonopelma jacobii, the new tarantula species is small, black and gray, and it has red hairs on its abdomen. Despite tarantulas being known to thrive in hot desert areas, the new A. jacobii species lives in the cooler forests of the Chiricahua Mountains.
Aphonopelma jacobii, a male and female. Pine needles and acorn cap included for scale.
(Brent E. Hendrixson / FOX Weather)
The discovery of A. jacobii began in a case of mistaken identity, the scientists said. Spiders initially collected in 2019 were thought to be part of another species, A. chiricahua, named after the mountainous region both spider species inhabit.
After scientists conducted DNA analysis of the tarantulas collected in 2019, they discovered that some of the spiders had genetic markers that were different from those of A. chiricahua.
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They then returned to the Chiricahua Mountains the following year to gather more spiders for analysis. Their assessment of the spiders’ genetics and physicalities revealed that they belonged to a brand-new species.
Named after Michael A. Jacobi, who helped find some of the first tarantula specimens that resulted in the classification of the new species, the A. jacobii species was figuratively born.
“This discovery represents the 30th species of tarantula documented from the United States,” said Chris Hamilton, assistant professor as the University of Idaho and co-lead author of the study involving A. jacobii.
Chiricahua Mountains.
(Michael A. Jacobi / FOX Weather)
“Aphonopelma is the most species-diverse tarantula genus on the planet (at least for documented species),” he added. “Our research adds to this number and continues to advance our understanding of the true species diversity in this incredibly interesting and important biodiversity hotspot.”