Situation and Conservation of Tarantulas in the Americas

Mendoza, Jorge

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-48644-0_16

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Unfortunately, particular aspects of spider conservation have been overlooked in many studies, possibly due to negative cultural perception based mainly on a lack of knowledge. Effective management of tarantula populations relies on understanding their main threats, ecological signi cance, and the development of public policies that engage society in management, protection, and conservation actions (Mendoza 2020).…”

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Conservation biogeography and diversity of tarantulas in Argentina

Allegue,

Schwerdt,

Ferretti

2024

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

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The loss of biodiversity due to the effects of a number of human activities is a cause for great concern. Protected areas are currently one of the main conservation tools worldwide and their correct selection and design play a key role. Since 2000, there have been protocols for systematic conservation planning, which emphasize the identification of priority conservation areas (PCAs) to ensure the persistence of species habitats and the environmental processes associated with them. Spiders of the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas) have biological characteristics that make them vulnerable to fragmentation in time and space and also are underrepresented in current conservation efforts. The geographical distribution of endemic species, such as tarantulas, represents a historical and ecological footprint of all biological entities; therefore, such endemic areas are recognized as priority areas for biodiversity conservation plans. The present work aims to develop an integrative biogeographical approach to conservation through the evaluation of multispecies distribution patterns, and the study of species richness and areas of endemism of tarantulas in Argentina with the ultimate goal of assessing their relationship to existing protected areas and proposing PCAs.

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confidence: 99%

Conservation biogeography and diversity of tarantulas in Argentina

Allegue,

Schwerdt,

Ferretti

2024

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

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“…Several snakes predate on Ninia sebae , including coral snakes (Lee 1996; Savage 2002; West et al 2019; Bello-Sánchez et al 2021), false corals such as Erythrolamprus mimus (Solórzano 2022), Fer-de-lance Bothrops asper (Garman, 1883) (Carbajal-Márquez et al 2019), other snakes such as Leptodeira sp. (Núñez et al 2021), Leptophis mexicanus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 (Carbajal-Márquez et al 2019), and spiders such as tarantulas (Theraphosidae) of the genera Acentropelma (Mendoza 2020) and Schizopelma (Aguilar-López et al 2014).…”

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Two Neotropical Snakes Attacked as Prey by Army Ants in Costa Rica

Mora,

Vargas,

Alvarado

et al. 2023

Caribbean Journal of Science

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Geophis hoffmanni and Ninia sebae belong to a group of snake species informally referred to as "goo-eaters" due to their diet consisting entirely of soft-bodied invertebrates. Geophis hoffmanni is a nocturnal, terrestrial, and fossorial snake often found in herbaceous vegetation and leaf litter near humid areas. Ninia sebae is both terrestrial and fossorial, and is commonly found under logs, boards, leaf piles, and various types of cover objects. One of the most formidable predators in many tropical forests are army ants, which forage in "raids" involving large numbers of ants searching for food simultaneously in confined areas. The most prevalent species is Eciton burchelli, widely distributed across the Neotropics. In Costa Rica, Labidus spininodis is also common, primarily inhabiting wet forest areas. On January 2, 2022, we observed a colony of Eciton burchellii attacking a Geophis hoffmanni individual at Selva Verde Lodge. The ants killed the snake, but we couldn't observe what happened afterward. On September 23, 2022, we encountered a swarm of Labidus spininodis ants attacking a Ninia sebae individual at Soltis Center. We couldn't determine whether the ants killed the snake, but it remained motionless after approximately 40 minutes of ant attacks, and some ant workers were seen cutting pieces from the snake's body. Both incidents occurred in the northern lowlands of the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica. These are two unprecedented cases of predation on Neotropical dipsadid snakes by two species of army ants. These instances mark the first reported cases of these emblematic terrestrial predators capturing relatively large vertebrates.resumen-Geophis hoffmanni y Ninia sebae pertenecen al grupo de serpientes "comedoras de gusanos" pues su dieta consiste exclusivamente en invertebrados de cuerpo blando. Geophis hoffmanni es nocturna, terrestre, fosorial y se encuentra frecuentemente en la vegetación herbácea y la hojarasca de áreas húmedas. Ninia sebae es terrestre, fosorial y se encuentra comúnmente debajo de troncos, montones de hojas y tablas entre otros. Uno de los depredadores más formidables en bosques tropicales son las hormigas guerreras, que se alimentan en grandes grupos en áreas confinadas. Eciton burchelli está ampliamente distribuida en toda la región neotropical. En Costa Rica, Labidus spininodis también es común y habita principalmente áreas de bosque húmedo. El 2 de enero de 2022, observamos una colonia de Eciton burchellii atacando y matando a una Geophis hoffmanni en Selva Verde Lodge, aunque no pudimos observar qué sucedió después. El 23 de septiembre de 2022, encontramos un grupo de Labidus spininodis atacando a una Ninia sebae en el Centro Soltis. No pudimos determinar si las hormigas mataron a la serpiente, pero esta permaneció inmóvil después de aproximadamente 40 minutos de ataques de las hormigas, e incluso se observó a algunas obreras cortando trozos del cuerpo de la serpiente. Los dos sitios mencionados se ubican en las tierras bajas de la vertiente norte de Costa Rica. Estos son dos cas...

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“…Whilst overall invertebrates have been neglected by analysis on impacts of trade, the popularity of arachnids (particularly tarantulas and scorpions) combined with their extended lifespans and comparatively slow reproduction mean they may be less capable of withstanding unsustainable harvesting than some other arthropod taxa 17 . Yet arachnids have become popular pets, often regarded as "cool", and given that they require little space, arachnids make very practical pets for people without much space, such as many urban settings.…”

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Searching the web builds fuller picture of arachnid trade

et al. 2022

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Wildlife trade is a major driver of biodiversity loss, yet whilst the impacts of trade in some species are relatively well-known, some taxa, such as many invertebrates are often overlooked. Here we explore global patterns of trade in the arachnids, and detected 1,264 species from 66 families and 371 genera in trade. Trade in these groups exceeds millions of individuals, with 67% coming directly from the wild, and up to 99% of individuals in some genera. For popular taxa, such as tarantulas up to 50% are in trade, including 25% of species described since 2000. CITES only covers 30 (2%) of the species potentially traded. We mapped the percentage and number of species native to each country in trade. To enable sustainable trade, better data on species distributions and better conservation status assessments are needed. The disparity between trade data sources highlights the need to expand monitoring if impacts on wild populations are to be accurately gauged and the impacts of trade minimised.

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Situation and Conservation of Tarantulas in the Americas

Cited by 8 publications

References 73 publications

Conservation biogeography and diversity of tarantulas in Argentina

Conservation biogeography and diversity of tarantulas in Argentina

Two Neotropical Snakes Attacked as Prey by Army Ants in Costa Rica

Searching the web builds fuller picture of arachnid trade

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