New Species Of Venomous Tarantula Spotted In Florida Zoo

A new species of venomous tarantula that has a life span of two decades has been spotted in a zoo in Florida.

The Pine Rockland trapdoor spider, Latin name Ummidia Richmond, was first spotted in Zoo Miami in 2012, but the researchers did not identify it as an entirely new species until this year.

"They have a rough carapace on their front half and a silvery-grey abdomen with a light-colored patch on top. They’re really quite beautiful spiders," Dr. Rebecca Godwin, an assistant professor of biology at Piedmont College, told the Daily Mail.

Godwin’s study, published earlier this month, identified the spider as a new species.

Experts say that the spider's bite would be about as painful as a bee sting and the venom liquefies the inside of its prey.

"Spiders like this often rely on their size and strength to subdue their prey, and the venom often acts to help break down and liquefy the insides of their prey," Zoo Miami conservation chief Frank Ridgley told the outlet.

A male Pine Rockland spider is roughly the size of a quarter, but a female is two to three times bigger than their mate.

"Similar species are ambush predators. They create a web burrow down into soft and sandy substrate with a hinged door at the surface," Ridgley said.

"They spend their entire lives in that same burrow, waiting for prey to come past their trapdoor, then they lunge out from their camouflaged lair to grab their prey."

The arachnids mainly feed on insects and other small invertebrates. The males mature over seven years after which they leave their burrows to find a mate. They die soon after mating, shriveled and dangling from the female.

Godwin believes the spiders that were discovered in the Miami zoo were "wandering males."

The biologist expressed her concern regarding the species’ future.

"It is likely that this species is limited to this small area of threatened habitat and subsequently could be threatened itself," she said.

The zoo authorities confirmed that no female species have been found in the habitat so far.

"Over the years, a few more males have been encountered but a female of the species has never been found," Zoo Miami wrote in a Facebook post.

"Given the rarity of the habitat that this species was found in and that it has not been known to science until now, it is assumed that it is likely already imperiled."