A team of researchers discovered a new species of large, hairy tarantula, of the genus Trichopelma, in Viñales National Park, in the far west of Cuba, according to a study published in the scientific journal Journal of Natural History.
The research, carried out by David Ortiz, from Masaryk University, in the Czech Republic, and Elier Fonseca, from the Zoological Society of Cuba, detailed that the body of the new species of hairy spider measures around 2.54 centimeters wide.
The first specimen of this spider was found in 2008, but it was only almost ten years later that researchers confirmed that it was a new species, according to the study cited on Monday by the Efe agency.
According to the scientific article, they found four young male specimens of Trichopelma within a short distance of each other in Viñales National Park, a protected area located in the Cuban province of Pinar del Río.
The scientists concluded that the new species apparently does not appear in Cuba's natural history collections, despite its impressive appearance.
The authors suggested that "the new species is not arboreal" because they collected the spiders from burrows in the ground rather than trees.
According to the article, it likely has "generalist feeding behavior and a mild sting, less powerful than that of a bee."
Another result of the research is that the distribution of this species is restricted, which is why they are "priority for conservation".
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