New "electrical" blue tarantula species found in Thailand: "Enchanting phenomenon"

New “electrical” blue tarantula species found in Thailand: “Enchanting phenomenon”

Entomologists in Thailand have been stunned by an electrifying new species of tarantula found in the southern part of the country. 

The spider, known as the Chilobrachys natanicharum, has a “blue-violet hue resembling the color of electrical sparks,” researchers from the Entomology Museum at Khon Kaen University and the Natural History Museum of the National Science Museum said in a paper announcing the find.  They called the tarantula’s rare color an “enchanting phenomenon.”

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 Chilobrachys natanicharum.  ZooKeys

“The blue coloration in animals is a fascinating and relatively rare phenomenon in nature,” researchers said. “Blue color in tarantulas is a unique instance of structural colors that evolved independently at least eight times.”  

Kerry Breen

Source: cbsnews.com