A striking, electric-blue spider from the Eastern Ghats has spun its way into public conversation after Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan shared a post on Instagram, calling the Peacock Tarantula “a rare jewel of the Eastern Ghats… finally getting the attention it deserves.”

The species in focus, Peacock Tarantula (Poecilotheria metallica), is among India’s most visually stunning yet least-known arachnids. Endemic to a tiny 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 restricted range.