# Poecilotheria rajaei sp. nov.



## Martin H. (Dec 21, 2012)

How long will it take, that it pops up in the hobby - any bets?


 Nanayakkara, Ranil P. & Peter J. Kirk, Salindra K. Dayananda, G.A.S.M. Ganehiarachchi, Nilantha Vishvanath, T.G. Tharaka Kusuminda (2012): A new species of tiger spider, genus Poecilotheria, from northern Sri Lanka. BTS Journal. 28(1): 6-15.

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## Tarac (Dec 21, 2012)

Long time, if ever I think.  Pretty sure it's very difficult to legally obtain wildlife from Sri Lanka if not impossible- they were ahead of India on this front if I am not mistaken.  Some will probably be poached here and there but not easy to get those on to the market these days due to the known regulations... fruit of the poisoned tree kind of thing.  I certainly hope they are being protected and of course it would be very fun to have a new Pokie in the hobby.  But I'd rather them stay in situ as long as they are protected.  Captive conservation is nice too, we would all like to see examples of every tarantula species being raised in captivity.  But the spirit of captive conservation does not condone poaching at all nor over-collecting from the wild as that is counter to the purpose of conserving period.  A neat thing to learn of though, thanks for posting!

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## Martin H. (Dec 21, 2012)

How long are you in the hobby?


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## grayzone (Dec 21, 2012)

anybody have a link to pics we can all drool over?


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## Tarac (Dec 21, 2012)

I've been keeping tarantulas for a little more than 15 years, intensely for the last 10 or so.


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## Philth (Dec 21, 2012)

It just so happens I have a female available for $1000. PM me for my paypal address if you want to be the first to own one lol.    To be honest If they are not in Germany already, then some Germans are probably in Sri Lanka collecting them now 

Later, Tom

Reactions: Like 3 | Funny 1


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## grayzone (Dec 21, 2012)

please tell me youre joking? Or that its just a color variant of an already existing sp. or something along those lines


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## Philth (Dec 21, 2012)

grayzone said:


> anybody have a link to pics we can all drool over?


Its reported to look and be similar to _P. regalis_.  I'm looking forward to receiving my new BTS Journal.

Later, Tom

EDIT: I was joking about having one.  Kinda like selling a_ P fasciata_ and calling it a _P. hanumavilasumica_ , most people cant tell them apart, but will drop a ton of $ on one to be the first to have it.

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## billopelma (Dec 21, 2012)

> To be honest If they are not in Germany already, then some Germans are probably in Sri Lanka collecting them now


Don't count out the Swiss so soon...;'}


Bill

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## BrettG (Dec 21, 2012)

$5 says IF it hits the hobby the prices will be insane for a look alike.(like the P.fasciata look alike)**Edit** Beaten to the punch by Tom..........

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## grayzone (Dec 21, 2012)

yeah, thats what i was figuring. 
Poecilotheria are definitely among the most beautiful of tarantulas FOR SURE, but personally i tend to only like the "stand out" sp. of Poecilotheria (as well as every other) genera.

P. met
P. sub
P. ornata
P. rufi
P. regalis
P. miranda

are the only ones i truly care for

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## Poxicator (Dec 22, 2012)

The full article of 10 x A5 pages within the BTS journal provides the full description, location, taxonomical ID with photographs, pictures and tables. And, as the article that appears is the descriptive article and the species is now accepted the sp. and n. are now ommitted from the name of Poecilotheria rajaei. The BNHM also have a copy for their records.

The differences are subtle, its not unlike P. regalis, and even has the white abdominal band.

What really pleases me about this is its the Sri Lankan arachnologists that have discovered the species which is a great indicator of the advancement of science and interest in the study of arachnids in Sri Lanka. As well as the improved safety within the region of North Sri Lanka.

I thoroughly recommend everyone to become a member of BTS and help support its causes. The newly designed journal also contains breeding reports of P. rufilata and P. ornata courtesy of Ray Gabriel. Membership is available to all ages internationally and provides a database of downloadable journals from the last 10 years, and then some!

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## esotericman (Dec 23, 2012)

The new format of the magazine looks GREAT.  The animal itself is pretty much greys, so the color hoarders will not be interested.  I'm sure they'll hit the price lists in 2 years.

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## Palinda (Mar 11, 2013)

ill probably spend more than all of you to save one from leaving Sri Lanka...
please don't get caught taking it. It will be posted all across media and tagged you as a smuggler.
trying my best to get a parliament act to completely restrain/ bann entry clearance visa the country, if a person get caught smuggling.


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## patrickbull (Apr 3, 2013)

*New Pokie Discovered: Poecilotheria rajaei*

Gotta love the pokies! It's not a metallica but nice nonetheless! Check this article with a couple pics! http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/04/new-giant-tarantula

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## Poec54 (Apr 3, 2013)

Palinda said:


> ill probably spend more than all of you to save one from leaving Sri Lanka...
> please don't get caught taking it. It will be posted all across media and tagged you as a smuggler.
> trying my best to get a parliament act to completely restrain/ bann entry clearance visa the country, if a person get caught smuggling.


Are they actively protected in the wild, or can villagers clear land, cut down trees, and kill them?  I don't see any virtue in them being killed by locals in the wild without consequence, while rallying against someone taking a handful and trying to keep the species alive in captivity.  I've read about areas where whole groups of Poecilotheria have been wiped because an area was clear cut.  Why aren't those animals relocated, or allowed to be taken into captive breeding programs?

Reactions: Agree 2


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## DVMT (Apr 3, 2013)

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/04/new-giant-tarantula/?cid=co6835264


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## poisoned (Apr 3, 2013)

Poec54 said:


> Are they actively protected in the wild, or can villagers clear land, cut down trees, and kill them?  I don't see any virtue in them being killed by locals in the wild without consequence, while rallying against someone taking a handful and trying to keep the species alive in captivity.  I've about areas where whole groups of Poecilotheria have been wiped because an area was clear cut.  Why aren't those animals relocated, or allowed to be taken into captive breeding programs?


Agreed, except villagers are usually not the people who clear cut forests.


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## PEIMike (Apr 3, 2013)

just watched a video on yahoo.......of course, when i went back to link it, the stories rotated, and can no longer find it.

no more info than what is available here, but it was a vid.


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## Poec54 (Apr 3, 2013)

poisoned said:


> Agreed, except villagers are usually not the people who clear cut forests.


If animals are protected, you would think that someone would care enough to relocate/collect them when an area's being cleared.  You have this guy ready to tackle anyone at the border and handcuff them for taking a single Poec out of the country, while people can kill dozens at a time when a group of trees are cut down for pastures or farming.  Seems like total hypocracy.  If someone truly cares about these animals, they'd be putting their efforts into saving the ones that will die when trees are felled.  That's a greater population loss by far.

Reactions: Agree 3


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## Speg (Apr 4, 2013)

PEIMike said:


> just watched a video on yahoo.......of course, when i went back to link it, the stories rotated, and can no longer find it.
> 
> no more info than what is available here, but it was a vid.


I just posted that video from yahoo in the general discussion.


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## Palinda (Apr 4, 2013)

Ha haa good one!!!!
several questions here. true that the Locals kill of fear, and that's one reason we do workshops and environmental education programs. Beyond that, I have no way of protecting. I have paid and rescued few by my own and released them to the same area away from human settlement. yet its way too hard, as they rarely inform that they get a tarantula indoors. 
the second one "_I've read about areas where whole groups of Poecilotheria have been wiped because an area was clear cut_" I agree (to some extent), but cant help, as one way development in Nothern Sri Lanka is happening at a faster rate than my speed. may be you all can make a say in general to raise voice against clearing forest which will be bigger than me myself and my group (Spider Conservation Unit Sri Lanka).

how can I afford one species to be taken?
sure i would "hypothetically" like to send a pair of spiders to a highly capable organization to rare them and get offspring and distribute those offspring around the globe (I personally would like this idea, if the rest will be saved and preserved in their eco-system). yet how can I get reassurance that this pair is the only pair that leaves the country. And  secondly how can I be sure that someone would not smuggle another specimen and another, and another and another.... till it brings total destruction to the whole species....

therefore considered, its vital, rather crucial to stop the first person that smuggles (and let no one leave the country with the spider).
and personally, and kindly request, not to try smuggle at least in dreams. if caught, anyone (regardless of status or social rank) would be treated as a serious offender, violating Sri Lankan wildlife law (providing mass media attention with word wide spread - that this person was caught smuggling or tried to "illegally" take a specimen out of the country). that's all I could afford being me...

PS: Im not against pet trade, but Sri Lanka do not facilitate rearing such animals by law neither have a policy of trade.

so sorry people
you might be wondering why I'm so much of an extremist on this. what to do, that's what I conserve 
no hard feelings...

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## Entomancer (Apr 4, 2013)

http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0404-hance-tiger-spider.html

Apparently the wild population is already in terrible shape. :C

Hopefully the captive breeding of this species will help keep them around until the deforestation stops. Same with P. metallica; unless I've been listening to the wrong sources, nobody's really set up any kind of serious breeding program to help endangered spiders.


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## Palinda (Apr 5, 2013)

its not CR in category for sure  I saw this post and it makes huge attention (which is good and bad both). if people see CR category for an animal they tend to be concerned ~ which is good! and the bad side of this is: an imposed threat level means a documentation of a global awareness (which is a serious concern to be given). if not sampled correctly and documented with evidence, this is a huge mistake! and its not good to gain attention by promoting something wrong or not completed. as for what I have been doing and according to the sampling I carried out for my B.Sc (in 2011-2012), I know that the population is somewhat distributed in a broader area and are well (even the deforestation at some areas are at an alarming rate). 
I classified NT or DD as my sampling was restricted to one area with 40 KM of a radius at the maximum. from that data, it had a thereat by developmental activities and yet  it survived in some areas. so this was considered a possible NT (in for future) but not an increased level than that. we don't really know the story (there are so many mine fields that are right next to my sampling area) which is ample and with extremely similar temperature, humidity and tree preferential of the species. and as its a mine field where  99% human access, usage and activities are restricted (except a psyco like me go ans sample avoiding the life thereat). Don't tell my mum that i was there ok!

I should say that none of the known Sri Lankan Spiders are in the CR level (as I believe the only organism that was supposed to be in this category was Poecilotheria smithi). However, that species also has adult individuals of mote than 10 in wild (and has broader distribution than we anticipated). the widest distance between two species (if plotted a straight line) was more than 6KM. it took more than 5 months of sampling to find, but worth the effort! therefore it is not CR for me(2013 data)...
and sorry I do not categorise any species in the CR level if I could find more than 7 animals (personal consideration). if I can find; obviously there are more species in wild. 

one problem is that we cannot obtain permits for captive breed.
and its not necessary, as long as we don't do a correct sample and asses population density (imagine we do bread and release a population that is already higher than population viability ~ this might cause even lack of food leading to starvation and  rapid decline and many more issues) its not good to think of captive breeding.

Reactions: Like 1 | Clarification Please 1


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## Petross (Apr 5, 2013)

Looks to me like a young not full coloured P.regalis or subscpecies of P.regalis from Sri lanka , which is not so rich in colour, even a ventral marks on legs and the white band is same 
http://www.ibtimes.com/face-sized-t...aei-discovered-sri-lanka-photos-video-1172131
But is a really good news for tarantula delears, because in a few months they can sell you a not so nice P.regalis for hundreds dollars for 1instar.


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## rodillablanco (Apr 5, 2013)

*I nabbed a Pic*

I grabbed it off MSN. I thought we should have a Pic. of it here.
Personally, I think it will show up in the hobby and it will be a good thing. How many P. mettallicas are there here as opposed to in the wild. Eventually, re-population will occur. Along with education.


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## Palinda (Dec 16, 2013)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...05945976.88440.440761565960760&type=1&theater

don't try this at home


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## Poec54 (Dec 16, 2013)

Palinda said:


> you might be wondering why I'm so much of an extremist on this. what to do, that's what I conserve


Do you really conserve, or do you just stop exports?  There's a huge difference between the two.  Very few Poecilotheria have been collected from the wild, and those few that have been, were the start of many thousands of captive bred and raised spiderlings.  That in turn has taken away almost all of the motive for smuggling them.  Meanwhile, by far the greatest loss is from habitat destruction, and hundreds, even thousands of Poeclitheria are killed that way every year, pointlessly.  There's no consistency in the logic.  Why not put your efforts into saving doomed animals in areas being developed?  Organize local conservationists and volunteers.  Rescue some of those poor spiders.  You'd save far more than you ever possibly could thru any anti-smuggling efforts.  You're worried about a handful being taken out of the country to be captive bred, while the species are going extinct due to local development.  Are symbolic gestures more important than results?  There won't be any left to smuggle out unless you get involved at a local level and do something that really makes a difference.  It gets down to do you truly care about the animal's survival.

Reactions: Like 4 | Agree 1


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## petkokc (Jun 16, 2015)

I'm sorry for bumping old thread but I think that's better then starting a new one. 
I wasn't been able to find any fresh info on this sp. Whats the status? Did any breeding programs start? Are they still out of hobby?


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## Angel Minkov (Jun 16, 2015)

They are probably limited to only a few specimens in the hobby.


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## Mojo288 (Jan 10, 2018)

Any updates on this sp? Anyone try breeding yet?

Anything? =(


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## McSP1D8R (Jan 10, 2018)

Mojo288 said:


> Any updates on this sp? Anyone try breeding yet?
> 
> Anything? =(


I didnt think any got exported from Sri Lanka :-/


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## Mojo288 (Jan 10, 2018)

McSP1D8R said:


> I didnt think any got exported from Sri Lanka :-/


As far as i know they haven't, all i have been able to find were some FB posts from some dude in Sri Lanka and a few other posts dated at least 3-4 years back all talking about conservation and reasons not to export (not that i agree).

A guy can dream though....


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## Venom1080 (Jan 10, 2018)

Reading through the thread, we're not missing much. 

Another regalis looking thing. Still wouldn't mind having it tho.


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## Philth (Jan 10, 2018)

Who cares, anyone who pays top dollar for these is a fool. It’s basiclly a population of regalis living on Sri Lanka. 

Later, Tom.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## McSP1D8R (Jan 10, 2018)

Philth said:


> Who cares, anyone who pays top dollar for these is a fool. It’s basiclly a population of regalis living on Sri Lanka.
> 
> Later, Tom.


You know what some people are like for "must haves" though lol..


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## Mojo288 (Jan 10, 2018)

Venom1080 said:


> Another regalis looking thing. Still wouldn't mind having it tho.


Agreed



Philth said:


> anyone who pays top dollar for these is a fool


Can't argue that either, but i can't help wanting to add one to my collection =)
I just hope it finds it's way into the hobby at some point... eventually.....

Reactions: Agree 1


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