Assessing the conservation status of endemic tarantulas from southern Western Ghats India

Project Lead: Aswathy Sankar Singh

Team members: Linta Joseph, Sreejith Sivaraman, Aneesh Mathew Vergis

Cilantica kayi and Cilantica devamatha are two large, burrowing mygalomorph spiders that are restricted to tropical forests and endemic to the southern Western Ghats, India. They construct burrows lined with dried leaves and twigs on roadside embankments. These large spiders face significant threats, including habitat loss and degradation due to road cutting, expansion, and heavy rainfall. The illegal pet trade poses another potential threat. These threats may result in the extinction of species in the near future. However, baseline information and evaluations of the ecology, population, and distribution of C. devamatha are still lacking. Field surveys will be conducted to understand the population status by GPS mapping and threats quantified along its habitat. Based on the collected data, the appropriate category of risk for C. devamatha in the IUCN Red List can be determined and the assessment of endangered C. kayi can be updated.This project seeks to improve the conservation efforts for these unknown threatened taxa.With the assistance of the Kerala Forest Department, the local communities will launch monitoring programs and conservation education initiatives with the goal of addressing taxonomic, ecological, and conservation issues. Through these comprehensive efforts, this project will ensure the long-term protection of endemic and threatened tarantulas in the Western Ghats.

Watch the project video here