Tarantulas of AP in Red List of IUCN : Gooty Tarantula critically endangered

By U Sudhakar Reddy

Two tarantulas (spiders) from Andhra Pradesh areplaced in the Red List of International Union for Conservation ofNature (IUCN) as critically endangered species. Smuggling of thespiders out of the country is posing a serious threat to the survival ofthe spiders.Gooty Tarantula found in the Nallamala in Kadapa and Regal Tarantulafound in the Eastern Ghats are in the list.

The Red List of threatened species released in World ConservationCongress at Barcelona found that out of 53 species of Tarantulas inIndia 14 are in the list of which eight are threatened with extinction andrest are either data deficient or least concern species.IUCN Central India Co-ordinator and Zoologist Mr C Srinivasulu said,"These spiders are integral part of the biodiversity and control insectpopulations including agriculture pests. In human dwellings they helpin controlling pests like cockroaches, flies and mosquitoes.Large-bodied spiders called tarantulas are in trade and many westernerskeep them as pets.Till October 2008, the Indian large-bodied tarantulas were notprotected as a result there had been cases involving smuggling of thesespecies from India to cater to world market.In Andhra Pradesh as per the Red List, the Gooty Tarantula is criticallyendangered, Regal or King Tarantula is Least Concern and NallamalaTarantula and Anantagiri Tarantula are Data Deficient species. The Gooty Tarantula has been reported from a very few locations inSouthern Nallamala Hills, Kadapa, the Regal Tarantula is known frommany locations in the Eastern Ghats of the State, while the NallamalaTarantula is restricted to certain locations in Central Nallamala Hills inKurnool district, while the Anantagiri Tarantula seems to be commonin the northern Eastern Ghats of the State."We have asked AP Biodiversity Board to include them as threatenedspecies in Andhra Pradesh as per section 38 of AP Biodiversity act.They will be given protected status then." said Dr Srinivasulu.