''Poecilotheria smithi'', or the yellow-backed ornamental, is a species of large arboreal
tarantula
Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...
s. It is endemic to
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
and considered to be critically endangered.
Size
The female is much larger than male, with a head-to-body length of 6–7 cm. The figure for the male is 4–5 cm.
Identification
The species can be distinguished from other tiger spiders by all black leg parts (coxa, trochanter, femur) with prominent brushes on the femur.
Description
Female
Dorsally, the
carapace
A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...
is dark brown in color. The patella is greyish, the tibia is brownish black and the tarsus is brownish, with a v-shaped light patch proximally.
Ventrally, the first and second leg pairs are identical. The coxa, femur and trochanter are all black, with a thin white distal band on the femur. The patella is white and the third and fourth leg pairs are identical.
Male
Dorsally, the spider is greenish brown. Folio markings are slightly darker. Ventrally, it is similar to female.
Ecology
The yellow-backed ornamental is one of the rarest tiger spiders found on the island, where it is confined to the Haragama area in
Kandy
Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...
, with very few sightings from the region of
Matale
Matale ( Sinhala: මාතලේ, ta, மாத்தளை, translit=Māttaḷai) is the administrative capital city of the Matale District. It is the most urbanised and populated centre in the district. Matale is also the second largest muni ...
. It is highly restricted due to habitat destruction. The species is docile and not as aggressive as other tiger spiders. This makes it one of the popular pet spiders in the world.
References
External links
bighairyspiders.com, yellow-backed ornamental (Poecilotheria smithi)TarantupediaItis.orgAcademia
smithi
Endemic fauna of Sri Lanka
Spiders of Asia
Spiders described in 1996
{{Theraphosidae-stub