Indian Violet Tarantula.

Mygalomorph spiders, which include trapdoor spiders, tarantulas and funnel web spiders etc, are one of the least well known taxa among terrestrial invertebrates. Mygalomorph spiders are obligate burrowers and some species make trapdoor burrowers which makes them difficult to detect. Of the 1500 species of spiders known from India, mygalomorph spiders are only represented by ~100 species making up to only 6% of the total diversity of spiders recorded from India. This number is a gross underestimate and more species will be found with dedicated surveys. Spiders of the family Theraphosidae are part of illegal pet trade and to add to this, rampant changes in land use patterns are major threats to these large spiders. Given that many species are unknown to science, there is a wide gap of information on these spiders which hinder their conservation.

Chilobrachyus sp from Tripura.j

The present project aims to fill this gap of information thus enabling conservation of these large spiders by including threatened species of tarantulas in the Indian Wildlife Schedule. Even though the Western Ghats and North East India are biodiversity hotspot, the diversity of mygalomorph spiders is poorly known. However, with little effort, over a dozen species have been described from India in the last five years. I propose to conduct rigorous surveys in India to document diversity of these spiders, to assess their diversity and conservation status. Surveys will be conducted across major hills ranges where majority of the diversity of these spiders is concentrated. The data generated through these surveys will be circulated to forest department, researchers and naturalists in the form of posters and a field guide to mygalomorph spiders of India.

Thrigmopoeus psychedelicus a new tarantula from Kerala.

Internet based surveys on arachnology forums and online pet store will help identify Indian species in the pet trade. With the help of forest department and concern ministry, the project aims to include tarantulas in the Indian Wildlife Schedule under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 which will provide legal protection to these large spiders and help in reducing collection of these spiders from India.