''Lasiocyano'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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 (family Theraphosidae). , it was a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus with the sole species ''Lasiocyano sazimai'',

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

''Pterinopelma sazimai'', known as the Brazilian blue, iridescent blue or Sazima's tarantula. The species was first described by

Rogério Bertani Rogério Bertani is a Brazilian arachnologist, active at the Butantan Institute. He is credited as one of the foremost specialists in Theraphosidae Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , ...

, Roberto Hiroaki Nagahama and Caroline Sayuri Fukushima in 2011. In 2012, it became the first Brazilian species to appear on the

International Institute for Species Exploration The International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE) is a research institute located in Syracuse, New York. Its mission is to improve taxonomical exploration and the cataloging of new species of flora and fauna. Since 2008, IISE has publ ...

's top 10 new species list. The species name honors Ivan Sazima, a Brazilian zoologist who was the first to collect exemplars of the species. It is now considered an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

owing to smuggling and a shrinking habitat.

Description

The life expectancy of ''Lasiocyano sazimai'' is not known. All of its body is iridescent blue in color, with the exception of the

opisthosoma The opisthosoma is the posterior part of the body in some arthropods, behind the prosoma (cephalothorax). It is a distinctive feature of the subphylum Chelicerata (arachnids, horseshoe crabs and others). Although it is similar in most respects to a ...

, which may be blue covered in reddish hairs, though some lack this reddish hairs. The

may also be darker or brighter in color, depending on several factors.

Habitat

''Lasiocyano sazimai'' is native to an

ecological island An ecological island is a term used in New Zealand, and increasingly in Australia, to refer to an area of land (not necessarily an actual island) isolated by natural or artificial means from the surrounding land, where a natural micro-habitat exists ...

within the

Chapada Diamantina National Park The Chapada Diamantina National Park (; pt, Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina) is a national park in the Chapada Diamantina region of the State of Bahia, Brazil. The terrain is rugged, and mainly covered by flora of the Caatinga biome. Loca ...

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It has average temperaturs of 20 °C, with yearly precipitation being an average of 1000mm. It is home to plants such as

bromeliads The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ...

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

, and animals such as

ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. It is native to the southwes ...

s, Rock cavies, and

Teius teyou ''Teius teyou'', the four-toed tegu,''Teius t ...

Behavior

''Lasiocyano sazimai'' spiders are opportunistic

burrow An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of sh ...

ers, though they spend most of their time in said

s. If bothered they will bolt to their

s, though if this is not possible, they will not hesitate to throw urticating hairs, or make a threat pose.

References

Theraphosidae Spiders of Brazil Monotypic Theraphosidae genera {{Theraphosidae-stub