Blue cobalt tarantula6/10/2023 ![]() ![]() While a number of the various other varieties in this infraorder are typically described as tarantulas or ‘incorrect tarantulas’, the types in the family Theraphosidae are taken into consideration as the ‘true’ tarantulas. Theraphosidae belongs to the infraorder Mygalomorphae. This essentially implies that the spider is a tarantula, as well as over 1,000 various spiders have actually been identified as part of the family members Theraphosidae. The Cobalt Blue Tarantula comes from the Family members Theraphosidae. Piel, 23 September 2020, Proceedings of the Royal Society B.Cobalt Blue tarantula Cobalt Blue Tarantula Taxonomy Reference: “The evolution of coloration and opsins in tarantulas” by Saoirse Foley, Vinodkumar Saranathan and William H. “For instance, one hypothesis would be differences in the light environments of the habitats between the New and the Old World, which can affect how these colors might be perceived, if indeed they can be, as our results suggest.” This leaves several fascinating avenues for future research, when considering how the ecological pressures in the New and the Old Worlds vary,” said Dr Saranathan. “Our finding that blueness was lost multiple times in the New World, while regained in the Old, is very intriguing. They also found that green coloration has evolved only a few times, but never lost. The losses are mainly in species living in the Americas and Oceania, while many of the gains are in the Old World (European, Asian, and African) species. They found that the blue coloration has been lost more frequently than it is gained across tarantulas. The team’s survey of the presence of blue and green coloration across tarantulas turned up more interesting results. We have set an impetus for future projects to include a behavioural element to fully explore these hypotheses, and it is very exciting to consider how further studies will build upon our results,” said Dr Foley. “While the precise function of blueness remains unclear, our results suggest that tarantulas may be able to see these blue displays, so mate choice is a likely potential explanation. The team also found that the evolution of green coloration appears to depend on whether the species in question is arboreal (tree-dwelling), suggesting that this color likely functions in camouflage. They further found that blue coloration does not correlate with the ability to urticate or stridulate – both common defence mechanisms - suggesting that it did not evolve as a means of deterring predators, but might instead be a means of attracting potential mates. Using comparative phylogenetic analyses, the team reconstructed the colors of 110 million-year-old tarantula ancestors and found that they were most likely blue. These findings suggest that tarantulas, long thought to be color-blind, can perceive the bright blue colors of other tarantulas. They found, contrary to current assumptions, that most tarantulas have nearly an entire complement of opsins that are normally expressed in day-active spiders with good color vision, such as the Peacock Spider. To understand the evolutionary basis of tarantula coloration, they surveyed the bodily expression of various opsins (light-sensitive proteins usually found in animal eyes) in tarantulas. The research was jointly led by Dr Saoirse Foley from CMU, and Dr Vinod Kumar Saranathan, in collaboration with Dr William Piel, both from the Division of Science at Yale-NUS College. The study was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B on September 23, 2020, and is featured on the front cover of the current (September 30, 2020) issue. Their research also suggests that tarantulas are not as color-blind as previously believed, and that these arachnids may be able to perceive the bright blue tones on their bodies. In a recent study, researchers from Yale-NUS College and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) find support for new hypotheses: that these vibrant blue colors may be used to communicate between potential mates, while green coloration confers the ability to conceal among foliage. Why are some tarantulas so vividly colored? Scientists have puzzled over why these large, hairy spiders, active primarily during the evening and at night-time, would sport such vibrant blue and green coloration – especially as they were long thought to be unable to differentiate between colors, let alone possess true color vision. Researchers from Yale-NUS College and Carnegie Mellon University have discovered that tarantulas have the ability to see in color, contrary to previous thought, and suggest functions for their green and blue coloration. A Cobalt Blue Tarantula (Hapolpelma lividum), with brilliant cobalt blue hair-like setae on its legs. ![]()
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