Arachnophobes , reckon away now . There ’s a new wanderer in townspeople , at least if you last in Colombia . As described in the journalZooKeys , this picky creepy crawly is not only a new species , but a young genus , think of there really is n’t another spider quite like it .
Thistarantulapossesses an armory of truly extraordinary justificative hairs . Its evolutionary first cousin also have similar hairs , but in order for them to do any damage to a predator or prey , they have to kick at them and force the hairs into the tissue of the opposer . In fact , they have to rub their hind legs against their stomach area for flick the hair out at their chosen target area .
In the case of this new discovered lifeform , itsdefensive pilus – which generously clothe both its leg and genitalia – appear to forge a patch of lance - shaped barb , and the males of the genus also have hairs with serrate edges . Although the researchers have not really observed this in action , they believe that these hairs are designed to be straight administered to the opposition . This means that this tarantula will run up to its prey and slap the hell out of it , leaving it with spikey haircloth all over its skin .
If you ’re a low mammal , this is far from expert news – these hairs are acknowledge , from observing other tarantulas , to cause fateful injuries after embedding themselves in the creature ’s mucous membrane , the bed that protect the internal Hammond organ . If you ’re an adult human , these barbs can range from gently irritating to unbelievably painful , with one report break how they haveended up in some masses ’s eye .
This unexampled spider is formally known asKankuamo marquezi . The genus is advert after an indigenous people from the Caribbean coast neighborhood whose finish and language are facing quenching , whereas the coinage is a reference to renowned Colombian author and Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez , who passed aside in 2014 .
“ This new determination is a great contribution to the knowledge of the arachnids in Colombia , ” the investigator , led by Carlos Perafán of the University of the Republic in Uruguay , write in their study .
The male of the fresh genus . Credit : Dirk Weinmann
There ’s a lot unknown about this unexampled genus , including how like it is to its first cousin . Other tarantulas can utilize these justificative hair to draw their burrow , or even coat their nut to forestall them from being eaten by sneak ovivorous fauna .
Until the attack pattern of this particular beastie is caught on camera , the use of its hairs will persist ambiguous . In the meantime , animal scientist can celebrate the world of a fascinating new eight - legged monster , while those with arachnophobia can do precisely the opposite .
