SPECIES OF THE MONTH: JULY 2016

LOVE IN THE TIME OF TARANTULAS

                               
Phylum      : Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class          : Arachnida
Order        : Araneae
Infraorder : Mygalomorphae
Family       : Theraphosidae
Genus        : Kankuamo
Species      : Kankuamo marquezi

Scientists have discovered an unusual new type of tarantula in the rain forests of Colombia and dubbed the creature Kankuamo marquezi. The genus is named after the Kankuamo, an indigenous people who inhabit the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (where the creature was found). The species name comes from author and Nobel laureate Gabriel García Marquez, who grew up nearby and is greatly admired by the study’s authors.

The creature lives in burrows and comes out only at night, like many tarantulas. Its body is nearly 2 inches in length and is colored black and brown. There are now about 1,000 known species of tarantula but many more to find. Perafán estimates there are probably another 1,000 or 2,000 unknown species awaiting discovery. One study, from February, uncovered 14 new species of tarantulas in the southern United States alone.

Reference to original paper: http://zookeys.pensoft.net