Phormingochilus hatihati

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Purple earth tiger
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Theraphosidae
Genus: Phormingochilus
Species:
P. hatihati
Binomial name
Phormingochilus hatihati
Müller, Fardiansah, Schneider, Wanke, von Wirth & Wendt, 2024 [1] [2]

Phormingochilus hatihati, formerly known under the names Cyriopagopus sp. 'hati hati' and Omothymus sp. 'hati hati', [3] commonly known as the purple earth tiger, the Sulawesi violet tarantula, or erroneously as the Borneo purple,[ citation needed ] is a species of spider in the tarantula family Theraphosidae, [1] found on the island of Sulawesi. [2] It was first described by Simon Müller et al. in 2024.

Contents

Etymology

The specific name "hatihati" is taken from an Indonesian translation for "caution". [2]

Description

This species demonstrates sexual dichromatism. Females present with dark grayish to bright purple legs with black femora, a clear fishbone pattern on the opisthosoma, and a pale tan carapace with radial stripes, while males are more of a tan overall, with less black legs and a less pronounced fishbone pattern on the opisthosoma. [2]

Habitat

Specimens have only been found in the lowland rainforests and mango plantations around Tammajarra, Polewali Mandar, West Sulawesi, Indonesia. [2] This species is unusual in the Phormingochilus genus, as every other currently-described species is found on the island of Borneo, on the other side of the Wallace Line; however, it may not be the first instance of tarantulas migrating across this fauna boundary, as a 2025 phylogenetic study found this to be the likely origin of Australian tarantulas. [4]

Behavior

This is an arboreal tarantula, with adults often found in the knotholes, forks, and twists of aerial roots of trees. Spiderlings prefer to stay close to the ground, and are known to burrow. As they mature, they relocate to different trees. [2] As with many arboreal tarantulas, this species is skittish, preferring to flee to the safety of a burrow or hide, but can bite if provoked.[ citation needed ]

References

  1. 1 2 "Phormingochilus hatihati Müller, Fardiansah, Schneider, Wanke, von Wirth & Wendt, 2024". World Spider Catalog Version 26.0. Natural History Museum Bern. 2025. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Müller, Simon; et al. (31 Dec 2024). "Description of a new genus and two new species of Ornithoctoninae from Southeast Asia (Araneae: Theraphosidae)". Integrative Systematics: Stuttgart Contributions to Natural History. 7 (2): 23–39. doi:10.18476/2024.122121 . Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  3. ↑ "Ornithoctoninae sp. Hatihati and Phormingochilus sp. Rufus have just been described". Arachnoboards. January 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  4. ↑ Briggs, Ethan J.; Foley, Saoirse; Cook, Lyn G. (2025). "Gondwanan relic or recent arrival? The biogeographic origins and systematics of Australian tarantulas". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 204 108246. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108246 . Retrieved 26 October 2025.
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