Three New Types of Tarantula Species Discovered in Argentina

First Posted: May 07, 2014 12:16 PM EDT
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Bad news for those with arachnophobia: a team of scientists from the Universidad de La República in Argentina discovered three new species of tarantulas, one of the most famous and most feared groups of large spiders.

There are hundreds of tarantula species across the world, located in Central America, South America, Africa, Southern Asia, and Australia. They can grow up to 4.75 inches, possess a leg span of 11 inches, and weigh between one and three ounces. The newly discovered tarantula species in Argentina are members of the subfamily Theraphosinae; the greatest diversity of these can be found in South America.

The Universidad de La República scientists, Carlos Perafán and Fernando Pérez-Miles, discovered Melloleitaoina mutquina, Melloleitaoina uru, and Melloleitaoina yupanqui in Calilegua National Park, located in Northern Argentina. The Melloleitaoina species is characterized by possessing a reduced number of labial cuspules, legs with few spines, all tarsal scapulae divided, and lacking a scapulae metatarsal IV.

The male mutuquina differs from other Melloleitaoina species by the palpal bulb morphology with the embolus less curved, absence of triangular tooth, prolateral superior keel very flat and apex widened. The female diagnosis is unknown.

Next, the male uru differs from other Melloleitaoina species by the palpal bulb morphology with very curved embolus with a conspicuous subapical triangular tooth and well-developed prolateral inferior keel and prolateral superior keel. Females differ by the shape of the spermathecae with elongated seminal receptacles with small granules.

Lastly, the yupanqui differs from other Melloleitaoina species by the palpal bulb morphology with a discontinuous prolateral superior keel, formed by two separate keels, very curved embolus without triangular tooth, well-developed prolateral inferior keele and prolateral superior keel, and apex widened. The female differs by the shape of the spermathecae with short seminal receptacles with large granules.

The study was published in ZooKeys, a peer-reviewed open-access journal, and you can look at pictures and diagrams of the newly discovered tarantula species. 

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