Within one of the Earth’s hottest biodiversity hotspots, daring explorers discovered a hidden biological wonder. More than three dozen species of animals new to science have been reported by an international team of researchers. Among the new species, is an amazing tarantula that’s peculiar both in appearance in behavior.
The striking new tarantula was found one fateful night by Andrew Snyder, a herpetologist for the Biodiversity Assessment Team, while he was surveying the Kaieteur National Park (KNP) and the Upper Potaro area in Guyana.
“During this particular night, my light beam reflected back with a small glint of brilliant, cobalt blue sticking out of a small hole in a rotting stump. At first I quickly dismissed it—surely it was just the eye shine coming from a spider. But something was different, and I must have been subconsciously aware. Something made me go back,” the herpetologist remembered.
“And it is a good thing I did,” he wrote on the Global Wildlife Conservation blog, which along with the World Wildlife Fund-Guianas comprises the Biodiversity Assessment Team.
The creature Snyder encountered was found in a tube-shaped hole inside a rotten stump. Upon inspecting the stump closely, the herpetologist noticed there were multiple holes, most of which, if not all housed a tarantula. That was very odd since tarantulas are typically solitary yet here, they were congregating inside the same stump. It remains to be seen whether the species, which hasn’t been formally described yet, is communal or the individuals merely tolerate each other.
Among the other surprising finds from Guyana were six kinds of fish, three plants, 15 aquatic beetles, and five odonates (an order of carnivorous insects, encompassing the dragonflies and the damselflies). Additionally, researchers discovered several species that weren’t new to science but which, nevertheless, were spotted for the first time in the country.
“This upland region where the surveys took place represents a very important transition zone for species between the lowlands and the highlands and was characterized by high levels of endemism for many taxonomic groups. This rapid inventory was able to provide an important glimpse into this special area and habitats, though more work is necessary to shed light on all of the region’s secrets,” Snyder wrote.
All in all, this was one fruitful month-long survey. And, frankly, the wealth of discoveries isn’t all that surprising considering the area is home to more than 50 percent of the birds, 40 percent of the odonates, 30 percent of the mammals, and 43 percent of the amphibians known to occur in Guyana.
“This brilliant tarantula should stand as a beacon for invertebrate conservation in Guyana. Though often overlooked and not typically mentioned during conservation conversations, invertebrates are vital to the proper maintenance and function of ecosystems and are just as important as charismatic macrofauna. Hopefully a species like this can represent the flagship for invertebrate conservation and promote awareness for less appreciated taxa,” Snyder concluded.
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Katika mojawapo ya maeneo yenye viumbe wengi zaidi duniani, wachunguzi wenye ujasiri waligundua muujiza wa kibiolojia uliofichwa. Zaidi ya spishi kumi na tatu za wanyama mpya kwa sayansi zimeripotiwa na kikundi cha kimataifa cha watafiti. Miongoni mwa spishi hizo mpya, kuna tarantula ya ajabu ambayo ni ya kipekee kwa kuonekana na kwa tabia. Tarantula huyo mpya aligunduliwa usiku mmoja na Andrew Snyder, mtaalamu wa mimea wa Timu ya Tathmini ya Biodiversity, wakati alipokuwa akichunguza Mbuga ya Taifa ya Kaieteur (KNP) na eneo la Upper Potaro huko Guyana. <unk>Katika usiku huo hususa, mnururisho wangu wa nuru ulirudishwa na mwangaza mdogo wa bluu ya cobalt yenye kung'aa uliotoka katika shimo dogo katika shina lililooza. Mwanzoni nilikataa haraka - bila shaka ilikuwa tu mwangaza wa macho kutoka kwa buibui. Lakini kulikuwa na jambo fulani lililokuwa tofauti, na ni lazima nikuwa na ufahamu wa hali ya chini. Kitu fulani kilinifanya nirudi nyuma, <unk> mtaalamu huyo wa wadudu alikumbuka. "Na ni jambo zuri nililofanya", aliandika kwenye blogi ya Global Wildlife Conservation, ambayo pamoja na Shirika la Dunia la Wanyamapori-Guyanas inajumuisha Timu ya Tathmini ya Biodiversity. Kiumbe ambacho Snyder alikutana nacho kilipatikana katika shimo lenye umbo la bomba ndani ya shina lililooza. Baada ya kuchunguza shina hilo kwa makini, mtaalamu huyo aliona kwamba lilikuwa na mashimo mengi, na mengi kati ya mashimo hayo yalikuwa na tarantula. Hii ni kwa sababu tarantula ni kawaida ya pekee, lakini hapa, walikuwa wakikusanyika ndani ya shina moja. Bado ni lazima ione kama spishi, ambayo haijaelezewa rasmi bado, ni ya kijamii au watu binafsi tu kuvumiliana. Miongoni mwa vitu vingine vilivyopatikana nchini Guyana ni aina sita za samaki, mimea mitatu, vipepeo 15 wa majini, na wadudu watano wanaoitwa odonates (watu wanaokula nyama, kutia ndani vipepeo na vipepeo). Kwa kuongezea, watafiti waligundua spishi kadhaa ambazo hazikuwa mpya kwa sayansi lakini ambazo, hata hivyo, ziligunduliwa kwa mara ya kwanza nchini. <unk>Mkoa huu wa milima ambapo uchunguzi ulifanyika unawakilisha eneo muhimu sana la mpito kwa spishi kati ya maeneo ya chini na maeneo ya juu na ilijulikana na viwango vya juu vya endemism kwa makundi mengi ya taxonomic. "Hii orodha ya haraka iliweza kutoa mtazamo muhimu katika eneo hili maalum na makazi, ingawa kazi zaidi inahitajika ili kutoa mwanga juu ya siri zote za mkoa huo, ""Snyder aliandika." Kwa ujumla, uchunguzi huo uliendelea kwa mwezi mmoja na ulikuwa na matokeo mazuri. Kwa kweli, idadi kubwa ya viumbe hivi ni ya kushangaza, kwani eneo hilo ni nyumbani kwa zaidi ya asilimia 50 ya ndege, asilimia 40 ya wadudu, asilimia 30 ya mamalia na asilimia 43 ya amfibia wanaojulikana nchini Guyana. <unk>Tarantula huyu mzuri anapaswa kusimama kama mwangaza kwa ajili ya uhifadhi wa wanyama wasio na uti wa mgongo nchini Guyana. Ingawa mara nyingi hupuuzwa na kwa kawaida hazitajwi wakati wa mazungumzo ya uhifadhi, wanyama wasio na uti wa mgongo ni muhimu kwa matengenezo sahihi na kazi ya mifumo ya ikolojia na ni muhimu kama macrofauna ya charismatic. Kwa matumaini spishi kama hii inaweza kuwakilisha flagship kwa ajili ya uhifadhi wa invertebrate na kukuza ufahamu kwa taxa chini ya kufadhiliwa, <unk> Snyder alihitimisha. Je, hilo lilisaidia?