New Philippine cave-dwelling tarantula lives up to its name

The aptly-named Phlogiellus kwebaburdeos is a newly-discovered tarantula species in the Philippines that certainly lives up to its name.

 

With an adult body size of up to 1.5in (4cm) in length, excluding their legs, P. kwebaburdeos grow to a formidable size even if they aren't the largest spiders out there. 

 

However, what’s really unusual about P. kwebaburdeos is that—as its name suggests—it lives in caves, whereas most Phlogiellus species are forest-dwellers.

 

P. kwebaburdeos was discovered by scientists from the University of the Philippines-Los Baños, is the sixteenth known Phlogiellus species in the world, and the fifth such species native to the Philippines.

 

Dr. Aimee Barrion-Dupo, one of the researchers who discovered this new species, noted that P. kwebaburdeos tarantulas feed on frogs and crickets inside the cave and use crevices as nurseries. 

 

She and her team theorized that the constant temperature and humidity inside the caves may be crucial for the survival of the species' spiderlings.

 

The earliest specimens were collected inside the Puting Bato Cave in Burdeos, Polilio Island, Quezon Province. The study discussing the discovery of the new tarantula species was published in the Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology. — TJD, GMA News