''Thrigmopoeus truculentus'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,100 species have been identified, with 166 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...

found in the Western Ghats. It is also known as the Karwar large burrowing spider, Karwar burrowing spider and lesser Goa mustard tarantula.

Range

''Thrigmopoeus truculentus'' is endemic to the Western Ghats region, specifically

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. It has been recorded from vertical bunds along the roads and trek paths in

Coorg Kodagu district () (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State ...

as well as other locations in Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Habitat and ecology

Lesser Goa Mustard Tarantula imported from iNaturalist photo 232291168 on 29 March 2024

Burrows of ''Thrigmopoeus truculentus'' were found in 0.5-5m height from the ground in Coorg and

Uttara Kannada Uttara Kannada is a fifth largest district in the Indian state of Karnataka, It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belagavi districts to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shivamogga District, and Udupi District to ...

districts. These bunds are usually covered with

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

s and

grasses Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in ...

Monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

and post-monsoon. The burrows are found on bunds with high canopy or in the ghat areas were direct sunlight was minimum. Only very few sightings of burrows without canopy are observed. The entrances of burrows belonging to ''T. truculentus'' is often shaped like a trumpet-bell, the rim of which is consolidated with wet mud and spider silk. In some cases a porch like entrance is seen due to the extended dorsal rim of the burrow. Often the burrow entrance is reinforced with adjacent twigs, dry leaves and other such artifacts that prevents it from collapsing, as it also offers an extended passage during entry and exit for the inmate of the burrows. The embankments on which the burrows were dug by the spiders were predominantly covered with herbaceous flora, and in the monsoon season the microhabitat was covered in lush green vegetation which conspicuously decreased in post-monsoon.

Pet trade

''Thrigmopoeus truculentus'' has much lesser demand in the pet trade market compared to other spiders, with buyers mainly from United Kingdom, US, Germany and Poland. With increasing demand for tarantulas as pets, there has been an exponential increase in illegal trade and captive breeding efforts. There are indications that locals are usually hired for collection, the spiders are then smuggled to breeders/collectors.

Threats

''Thrigmopoeus truculentus'' is threatened by fragmentation, habitat degradation, soil erosion, developmental activities and pet trade. Habitat degradation is caused by the widening of roads where ''T. truculentus'' build its burrows, cutting of trees, soil erosion, tourism and other such human infleuence and bund maintenance. ''T. truculentus'' originally barely missed the vulnerable category as listed in the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals, However, due to the continuing decline inferred in its area of occupancy, in the quality of habitat and population, ''T. truculentus'' has since been put in the

Near-threatened species A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qu ...

category.Molur, Sanjay & Siliwal, Manju & Daniel, B.A.. (2008). At last! Indian Tarantulas on IUCN Red List. Zoos' Print. 23. 1-3.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1888855 Arthropods of India Fauna of Karnataka Spiders described in 1899 Theraphosidae