Why in news?
- Genus can be identified based on the banding patterns on the underside of the legs.
- IUCN status – Peacock Parachute Spider or Gooty Tarantula was spotted by a team of researchers in the Pakkamalai Reserve Forests near Gingee in Villupuram district of Tamilnadu.
About it:
- The spider belongs to the genus Poecilotheria.
- It is endemic to India.
- Its known habitat is in degraded forests near Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh (Eastern Ghats).
- For the first time it has been sighted beyond its known habitat.
- Species of this Critically Endangered.
