Need help to find the name of a Nepalese spider

[Andy Celt]

Hi Folks, i was wandering if any of you guys can help me find the name of a Nepalese spider i seen many years ago.

I have been hunting for the name for over 20 years and i still cannot find it.

In simple terms, it's basically a big black Tarantula and is at least 8 inches across/wide.

I have no photos of it and have seen none on the net. The closest i've seen was the Tarantula's they spotted in Sri Lanka a few years back.

There are many travelers stories about them but no photos. 

The nearest i came to finding the name was in the Chitwan National Park where the naturalists told me they knew exactly what i was talking about, but unfortunately, Nepal does not give spiders individual names.

The Nepalese simply call all spiders Makuru, which i believe means spider in Nepali. I was gutted to be told this but kept looking.

The naturalists also told me that you do not find these in the Chitwan as it's too low for them and they prefer higher ground. This makes sense as i seen them in Pokhara in the jungle/forest and the web was hung between two trees and started about 10 feet of the ground.

The web was simply huge and i'm staggered that after all this time nobody has a picture of the spider or even of the huge web. The spider i seen was sitting right in the middle of the web and i have always regretted not taking the camera with me that day.

I personally believe it is a Tarantula, but, Nepal officially does not recognise having Tarantulas this size. They most certainly do and i would love to end this 20 year plus mystery.

Any help at all would be fantastic and greatly appreciated. If it's not possible the search will go on! 

*This image is copyright of its original author

Reply

[Tshokwane]

(11-02-2018, 06:01 AM)Andy Celt Wrote: Hi Folks, i was wandering if any of you guys can help me find the name of a Nepalese spider i seen many years ago.

I have been hunting for the name for over 20 years and i still cannot find it.

In simple terms, it's basically a big black Tarantula and is at least 8 inches across/wide.

The naturalists also told me that you do not find these in the Chitwan as it's too low for them and they prefer higher ground. This makes sense as i seen them in Pokhara in the jungle/forest and the web was hung between two trees and started about 10 feet of the ground.

The web was simply huge and i'm staggered that after all this time nobody has a picture of the spider or even of the huge web. The spider i seen was sitting right in the middle of the web and i have always regretted not taking the camera with me that day.

Did she look like this?

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

These are Nephila Pilipes, also called giant golden orb weaver.

I don't think the one you refer to is a tarantula because tarantulas don't build webs to hunt and aren't sedentary, as the Nephilas would be. I'm throwing this option because they're one of the largest spiders out there, and also because they build huge webs. Reply

[Andy Celt]

Hi Tshokwane, thanks for the reply.

The spider i seen was nothing like that one. It was much blacker and much hairier.

A bit like this one in my room in Pokhara but far bigger and even hairier. 

*This image is copyright of its original author

I do have another two you could help me with.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

You're probably right about it not being a Tarantula but i'd love to know what it is.

All 3 are a mystery to me but the one i'd really like to know is the one from 2 decades ago as that's the one that's doing my head in!!! lol Reply

[Tshokwane]

(11-02-2018, 08:53 PM)Andy Celt Wrote: I do have another two you could help me with.

Both of them look to be Nephila sp. I can't give you the exact species since I'm not an expert, but if you compare them with the ones I posted, it's the same animal. Reply

[Herekitty]

Haplocosmia Nepalensis

Although tarantulas can be found in many countries and habitats around the world, Haplocosmia nepalensis are native to Nepal. Their bodies consist of two distinct parts -- the carapace, or front portion including the eyes and a protective plate, and the abdomen. Like all tarantulas, they are distinctively hairy and use fine hairs on their legs to detect air movement, thereby sensing when predators or prey are nearby. These tarantulas do not build a web; rather, they prefer to live alone in a self-constructed burrow.

Credit:  Juliana Weiss-Roessler
https://animals.mom.me/spiders-nepal-8803.html Reply

[peter]

You could contact the Wiesbaden Museum (Germany). I was there some years ago to measure skulls. One of the conservators is a specialist on (predatory) insects. I don't know if he's still there, but you could give it a try. Reply

[Andy Celt]

The problem with the Haplocosmia Nepalensis is that it grows only to 8-10cm, but the one i seen was easily 8 inches and it had a huge web which started about 10 feet in the air.

The Haplocosmia Nepalensis, i believe, nests in the ground or has small webs just above it. It may be the one that's in the picture above, hanging on the curtain in the room, but, it's not the one that was in the forest.

Thanks for the replies though guys. The search goes on. Reply

[Jimmy]

The description fits Golden orb Weaver spider or similar species, it builds huge webs spanning trees and sits in the middle for ambush, but it's found from Chitwan and other lowlands not just hills, yes it can be difficultdto know the exact species since all are called 'only' spiders makura, i was not aware there was even tarantulas in Nepal... ..! Reply

[Andy Celt]

(11-06-2018, 04:58 PM)Jimmy Wrote: The description fits Golden orb Weaver spider or similar species, it builds huge webs spanning trees and sits in the middle for ambush, but it's found from Chitwan and other lowlands not just hills, yes it can be difficultdto know the exact species since all are called 'only' spiders makura, i was not aware there was even tarantulas in Nepal... ..!

The web description fits a Golden Orb Weaver, but the spider i saw definitely isn't the Golden Orb Weaver.

Tarantula's are in Nepal, but the ones they acknowledge are there are tiny in comparison to the spider i saw. Reply

[BorneanTiger]

(11-07-2018, 04:52 AM)Andy Celt Wrote:

(11-06-2018, 04:58 PM)Jimmy Wrote: The description fits Golden orb Weaver spider or similar species, it builds huge webs spanning trees and sits in the middle for ambush, but it's found from Chitwan and other lowlands not just hills, yes it can be difficultdto know the exact species since all are called 'only' spiders makura, i was not aware there was even tarantulas in Nepal... ..!

The web description fits a Golden Orb Weaver, but the spider i saw definitely isn't the Golden Orb Weaver.

Tarantula's are in Nepal, but the ones they acknowledge are there are tiny in comparison to the spider i saw.

Perhaps the works of Binish Roobas, an Indian naturalist based in the UAE who has written on spiders and other arthropods, and just recently identified a species of Himalayan butterflies occurring in the Hajar Mountains of eastern UAE (see my post here), could be the key: https://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395302827557 Reply

[cheetah]

Perhaps it is a new species of spider., Reply

[MatijaSever]

(03-01-2020, 10:38 PM)BorneanTiger Wrote: Perhaps the works of Binish Roobas, an Indian naturalist based in the UAE PiktID who has written on spiders and other arthropods, and just recently identified a species of Himalayan butterflies Kobilabs occurring in the Hajar Mountains of eastern UAE (see my post here), could be the

Binish Roobas's work sounds fascinating! Reply