It’s not everyday that you get to hear about a new Tarantula species, but one was just described four months ago in March. Animal Scene had a chat with Assistant Professor Leonardo Guevarra, Jr. from the University of Santo Tomas Department of Biochemistry about this new species called Selenobrachys ustromsupasius, discovered in Romblon (and so far has only been found on this island).
This brown to dark brown colored Tarantula was observed in coconut husk piles, along roadside embankments, and in the crevices of marble structures, making them pretty adaptive to humans. Unlike other species discovered through surveys, this discovery is an excellent example of how studying wildlife for medical compounds can also lead to the identification of new species.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
The name Selenobrachys ustromsupasius comes from the institutes collaborating on GAGAMBA (more on what this acronym means later): University of Santo Tomas, Romblon State University, Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology, University of the Philippines Diliman, and the Philippine Arachnological Society.
QUESTION NO. 1: WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY BEHIND THE DISCOVERY?
The discovery of this new species, and the many more to come out soon, is part of the GAGAMBA (Gamot mula sa Gagamba at Mananaliksik ng Bayan) research program funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through the National Research Council of the Philippines. One of the projects under this research program aims to study the Tarantula biodiversity and the diversity of bioactive compounds present in the Tarantula venom.
We started doing our research on Spiders in 2015. As researchers from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Department of Biochemistry, we were first interested in studying the Spider venom, particularly its potential use as treatment against human diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, anxiety, and other brain and behavior disorders. We started focusing on Spider identification in 2019, but we used DNA barcoding.
Unfortunately, this method cannot be applied up to the species level because of the lack of available information in the global database. So in 2021, we created this research wherein a major part is identifying and describing species that we collected from our sampling.
We particularly chose Romblon because we have already done previous work on this island, way back in 2018, in our CHED-funded Spider venom research. It just so happens that this is also the hometown of our current DOST Secretary Renato Solidum, Jr.
GAGAMBA’S TWO WEBS
The GAGAMBA research program has two main projects. First, led by Associate Professor Myla R. Santiago-Bautista, PhD, is a program called “Molecular Diversity and Taxonomy of Philippine Tarantula and its Venom”, which aims to analyze Tarantulas using DNA barcoding and morphological analysis, and to analyze the diversity of the venom’s components.
The second one is led by Assistant Professor Leonardo A. Guevarra Jr., MSc, and it’s called “Bioactivity and Pre-clinical Pharmacologic Analysis of Venom Components”. It hopes to analyze the bioactivities of venom components and how they work. Their team explores how the venom has neurologic and anticancer effects.
WHAT IS DNA BARCODING?
In a nutshell, DNA barcoding is a technique that uses sections of DNA to easily identify species when referenced against an international gene database, such as the Barcode of Life data system.
QUESTION NO. 2: WHAT’S THE MOST INTERESTING THING THAT HAPPENED TO YOUR TEAM DURING THIS DISCOVERY?
There are a lot of memorable stories in the field sampling we conducted in Romblon. Romblon was the second sampling site we visited for this project, and the first we visited outside the mainland of Luzon. Aside from the beauty of the province, we were so amazed by how these creatures were able to adapt to an area with human disturbance.
It is the first time we have observed Spiders as big as this to live in the crevices of man- made structures.
We have also observed a lot of female Tarantulas carrying their egg sacs, meaning that it was breeding time when we visited the island for sampling.
Perhaps it was also the first time the breeding season was observed for purposes of research.
QUESTION NO. 3: WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE FILIPINOS TO KNOW ABOUT LOCAL TARANTULAS?
Our country’s biodiversity is very rich. Sadly, this so-called not-so-beautiful and unlovable organism is less understood.
Mostly, our reaction to these organisms is fear, and in most cases, we kill these creatures when we encounter them in the wild.
I want to tell everyone, whether you’re a researcher or a common citizen, to study and understand them. It is through understanding these creatures [that] we see their value in the ecosystem, and when we understand them, we start to take care of them.
KNOW THEM, LOVE THEM
Tarantulas might not be the cutest or most charismatic of Philippine wildlife, but that doesn’t mean that they’re less important.
It’s sad enough that invertebrates tend to get less attention in research and end up being underappreciated. Let’s then give this new Philippine Tarantula a warm welcome!
