New Species of Tarantula Is Found in Arizona

Introducing Aphonopelma jacobii, a new species of tarantula discovered in the mountains of southeastern Arizona. A news release at EurekAlert has a photo of the creature, which has "fiery red hairs on its abdomen" and is the 30th species ever found in the US. Researchers are happy with the discovery documented in the journal ZooKeys, but the Arizona Republic reports that it's tempered with the reality that the newly found spider already may be at risk of extinction.

The tarantula lives in the forests of the Chiricahua Mountains, and climate change is expected to take an increasingly devastating toll on those forests. "These fragile habitats are also threatened by increased exurban development in the San Simon Valley and Portal areas, destructive recreational activities, and wildfires," says Dr. Brent Hendrixson of Millsaps College, a co-author of the study. Another fear is that those in the exotic pet trade will descend on the area in a bid to cash in, he adds. (More tarantula stories.)