New Chilobrachys from Sri Lanka

Arthroverts

Arachnoking
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That is so awesome! Such a beautiful looking spider. Hopefully poachers won't get there before legal, conservation-minded collectors can.

I find it funny that they say "The collected specimen on the other hand has a metallic turquoise-blue sheen on all four legs and..."
All four legs? Tarantulas only have four legs?

Thanks for sharing,

Arthroverts
 

Arthroverts

Arachnoking
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Also, that scientific name...$100 for whoever can pronounce it (just kidding, but that is crazy)!

Thanks,

Arthroverts
 

Vanessa

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Also, that scientific name...$100 for whoever can pronounce it (just kidding, but that is crazy)!
I made a joke on FB that taxonomists do it on purpose because hobbyists complain about taxonomy revisions.
I actually don't find it that bad - Joni-triantis-van-sickle-i
I find Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica more challenging.
 

Arthroverts

Arachnoking
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I find hanumavilasumica easier, ha ha. But that's likely because I've been saying that name for a lot longer.

Thanks,

Arthroverts
 

Patherophis

Arachnobaron
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May 24, 2017
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Also, that scientific name...$100 for whoever can pronounce it (just kidding, but that is crazy)!

Thanks,

Arthroverts
I made a joke on FB that taxonomists do it on purpose because hobbyists complain about taxonomy revisions.
I actually don't find it that bad - Joni-triantis-van-sickle-i
I find Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica more challenging.
@VanessaS There are many problems and unpressional aspects in it. More I read it, more dissapointed and sad I am. I will try to write deeper analysis tomorow.

just one small example, it is named after woman called Joni Triantis Van Sicle, but -i ending is only to be used in case of derivation from male names, and that would be smallest problem...
 

Patherophis

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Disclaimer: I am not questiong the discovery of species itself, it is beautiful spider and it is great that it was discovered. I am gonna talk about quality of description paper.

- journal: while there are sometimes good things in it, keep in mind that BTS is hobby journal, not a serious scientific journal, no serious scientific journal would publish this... Just fact that one of authors is editor of BTS jornal should rise some eyebrows.
- name: as mentioned above, it is named after woman called Joni Triantis Van Sicle, but -i ending is only to be used in case of derivation from male names, this means that authors do not know and understand the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, the Code consist from rules on how names are created, used, treated ..., and it is crucial for anybody who would like to do any nomenclatory act, e.g. species description
- type material: type specimen(s) should be deposited in serious institution that would long term storage them and allow their further scientific examination, most ussually national museums or simillar institutions are used. In this case, while authors cooperated with SriLanka National Museum, they decided to keep types in their "research and training center", I have serious doubts if we will be able to find and reexamine types after e.g. 50 years ...
- photos: I am out of words, I have made better photos of genitalia using my cell phone... for example fig. 7 - taken from bad angle so sternum shape is deformed by perspective, fig. 8 - bad joke, spermatheca is unfoccused and why the hell isnt photo normally oriented, fig. 9 - "please identify the spider I found in corner of my kitchen", fig. 15 - male genitalia are crucial in t taxonomy, what is this blurry dark thing and where are shots from other angles ?; did I mentioned that all photos lack scale? and so on and on ... (just compare it with that shots of C. nitelinus (figs. 17 - 20) made by Sherwood, and You get what I mean). This photos has nothing to do with scientific article and depicting taxonomic characters!
- some other things, but I am too sleepy and frustrated to continue (its 1:30 AM here), good night

This is terrible example and shows how taxonomy and science in general shouldnt look. This work may case many problems to anybody who would like to seriosly work on genus in future, and redescription (name and authorship remains, but morphology is described again) will likely be necessary.
 

Liquifin

Arachnoking
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Expect another smuggler to get this one into the hobby. It seems like that is basically the only way nowadays to get any new species into the hobby and I'm tired of smugglers doing it. :meh:

But nice spider overall and I can get use to the species name in a few days. :D
 

Arthroverts

Arachnoking
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Thanks for the input @Patherophis! That is very interesting. Hopefully some better taxonomic work will be done on this species in the near future.

@Liquifin, I'd go myself and collect and then import them legally, but the problem of money comes to mind...:D;). GoFundMe anyone?

Thanks,

Arthroverts
 

Vanessa

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Disclaimer: I am not questiong the discovery of species itself, it is beautiful spider and it is great that it was discovered. I am gonna talk about quality of description paper.
Isn't there a governing body to oversee the quality of taxonomy research who would step in and ask for those missing/sub-standard/incorrect entries to be corrected before becoming peer review approved? Isn't that usually the process - that it has to undergo a couple of levels of review before being considered peer approved?
Yes, one of the people listed is an editor at the BTS, but the other two are listed as "Ranil P. Nanayakkara -Biodiversity Education And Research (BEAR) and University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka · Zoology PhD Candidate" and "Amila Prasanna Sumanapala - University of Colombo Department of Zoology and Environment Sciences BSc (Hons) Environmental Conservation and Management", so I would hardly say that there weren't qualified people involved who should have the resources to put together the research paper properly, even if they had never done it before.
And I have a slightly unrelated question. Is one of the researchers involved the same person that the Tarantula Collective group are soliciting donations for?
 

lostbrane

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And I have a slightly unrelated question. Is one of the researchers involved the same person that the Tarantula Collective group are soliciting donations for?
Nanayakkara is the researcher that TKC has contacted/trying to get or tried to get donations for x acres of land in Sri Lanka.
 

EtienneN

Arachno-enigma
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Jul 15, 2017
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Welp, I like this new species a heck of a lot better than the new Ceratogyrus species that everyone posted about several months back!
 

Arthroverts

Arachnoking
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That one is interesting for its horn, not the color. This new one is cool for the color and not the horn :D!

Thanks,

Arthroverts
 

Patherophis

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Isn't there a governing body to oversee the quality of taxonomy research who would step in and ask for those missing/sub-standard/incorrect entries to be corrected before becoming peer review approved?
Generally no.
Isn't that usually the process - that it has to undergo a couple of levels of review before being considered peer approved?
Just in case of peer reviewed jornal. And even than the information value of some articles may be quite questionable as review process is sometimes more focused on formal aspects than core information provided.
Yes, one of the people listed is an editor at the BTS, but the other two are listed as "Ranil P. Nanayakkara -Biodiversity Education And Research (BEAR) and University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka · Zoology PhD Candidate" and "Amila Prasanna Sumanapala - University of Colombo Department of Zoology and Environment Sciences BSc (Hons) Environmental Conservation and Management", so I would hardly say that there weren't qualified people involved who should have the resources to put together the research paper properly, even if they had never done it before.
I am not saying he is unquallified. Just that publishing in own paper, not always but often, means that work woldnt be possible to be published anywhere else. He actually may be the most quallified out of trio. While there are some great taxonomists even without formal education, those are exceptions, and sorry but I am not impressed by two students. Maybe they should have consulted with some of their profesors...
And I have a slightly unrelated question. Is one of the researchers involved the same person that the Tarantula Collective group are soliciting donations for?
Probably, they mention support from TKC in the paper.
 

Vanisher

Arachnoking
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Wow! Beutiful! Its just a matter of time before this one starts to be collected! "Sight!"
 
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ThorsWebb

Arachnopeon
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Aug 11, 2019
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Beautiful! Great that it's so fresh! Now we can all come together at AB as a group and keep track of what seller trying to make money out of this!
 
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