Birupes simoroxigorum (Theraphosidae), of south Sarawak, Borneo.

I haven’t seen this Birupes simoroxigorum in a while. But since Chien, Pearl and I discovered and first photographed this species we have been able to record this beautiful blue tarantula at more locations. Only the females have the blue leg coloration and are clearly distinguishable from the males, which come in plain black. This species was sought out by tarantula collectors in the forests of Borneo shortly after we discovered it and smuggled out of the country. This alone is bad enough, but for scientists to describe this tarantula as a new species and genus without any local cooperation puts the crown on the whole thing. Not only the smugglers did not follow the law, also the scientists did not follow the rules which are written down in the Nagoya protocol. All in all, this is a prime example of why many countries in South America and Asia no longer trust us European scientists and no longer give research or collection permits.