The striking, electric blue spider of the Eastern Ghats entered the public conversation after Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan shared an Instagram post calling the peacock tarantula “a rare jewel of the Eastern Ghats… finally getting the attention it deserves.”
The species in focus, the peacock spider (Poecilotheria metallica), is among the most visually stunning yet least known arachnids in India. Endemic to a small patch of forest in Andhra Pradesh, it is classified as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with its survival threatened by habitat loss and its extremely limited occurrence.
Published – 30 Apr 2026 15:29 IST
