Fanged ‘purplish’ creature found waiting to ambush prey in Philippines is new species
On a small island in the Philippines, as day turned to night, researchers scanned the forests looking for signs of large, fanged, hairy insects.
The team, peering into mountainside crevices, deep burrows and under leaf litter, was searching for tarantulas.
They collected numerous specimens, including what turned out to be a new species, according to a March 31 study published in the journal ZooKeys.
Selenobrachys ustromsupasius was discovered on Romblon Island and is not known to exist anywhere else in the world, according to the study.
The ustromsupasius tarantula was found at night near the entrance of its burrow, lying in wait to ambush is prey, researchers said.
While many Selenobrachys species dig their burrows in the dirt, the ustromsupasius tarantula builds its burrows in fallen coconut husks and limestone crevices, according to the study.
The new species is dark brown with a body about 2 inches long. Scales on its legs and abdomen reflect a deep “purplish blue sheen,” researchers said.
Immediately after molting, their bodies are “uniformly dark with a mild bluish sheen” which fades within a few days, according to the study.
Like other tarantula species, ustromsupasius is covered with hair-like structures, some “sword”-shaped, that help with sensory detection and claws at the end of each leg.
Romblon Island is about 170 miles southeast from Manila.
The research team included Darrell C. Acuña, Maria Mikaela U. Dumbrique, Maricel C. Ranido, Lorenz Rhuel P. Ragasa, Charles Nylxon C. Noriega, Anna Beatriz R. Mayor, Gregorio Antonio Florendo Jr, Mary Jane A. Fadri, Volker von Wirth, Myla R. Santiago-Bautista and Leonardo A. Guevarra Jr.
This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 12:14 PM with the headline "Fanged ‘purplish’ creature found waiting to ambush prey in Philippines is new species."
