Four newly described species of tarantula have been given their own genus, thanks to the record-breaking length of their genitalia. Appropriately, they have been named after Satyrs, the Greek mythological part-man and part-animal figures known for their large male genitalia.
"The males of these spiders have the longest palps among all known tarantulas,” says Dr. Alireza Zamani, a researcher at the University of Turku in Finland and lead author of the paper published in ZooKeys.
Why so big?
Spiders, including tarantulas, don’t have the same male genitalia as mammals. Instead, they have appendages by their mouths called palps which can be used for a variety of purposes – including reproduction.
During mating, sperm is transferred onto structures called papal bulbs, which are then inserted into a female and the sperm is deposited.
It’s thought that the extraordinary length of these palps is to help the males survive the reproduction process, by enabling them to increase the distance between them and the cannibalistic female.
- Why are people scared of spiders?
- This metallic blue tarantula is the most beautiful spider in the world
- The world's 9 weirdest penises – including a detachable one that swims off after a mate
- The animal that can regrow a penis - three times!
Discovering the new species
This taxonomic study was kickstarted by iNaturalist sightings and social media posts on tarantulas, mentioning the remarkably large palps. Zamani gathered together some preserved specimens, as well as photos and videos of these spiders in the wild, and determined that they were undescribed species.
“Based on both morphological and molecular data, they are so distinct from their closest relatives that we had to establish an entirely new genus to classify them, and we named it Satyrex," he explains. 'Satyrex' is the combination of two words: 'Satyr' and 'rex'. Satyrs accompanied the god Dionysus and were known to be bawdy and love women, wine and music. 'Rex' is the Latin name for 'king'.
The largest of the four was named 'ferox' – meaning 'fierce' – due to its defensive behaviour. If it feels threatened, which apparently it does at even “the slightest disturbance”, it will raise up its front legs and also produce a large hissing sound by rubbing together the specialised hairs on its front legs.
The four newly described species were found in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa. A previously described species was also reassigned to the new Satyrex genus, and also has distinctly long male palps.
Top image: Satyrex ferox, male. Credit: Mark Stockmann
More amazing wildlife stories from around the world
- “Teacher, elephants are near the fence!”
- There's a peculiar animal in the Amazon that has a triangular head and looks like a log
- This weird wild dog – which has one enormous head – looks like it was designed by AI
- “The action was intense… dramatic underwater chaos!" Diver films awesome feeding frenzy in South Africa
