Colour and Opsin Evolution in Tarantulas

10.1098/rspb.2020.1688

Ever wondered why twilight or night-active tarantulas can be so vividly colored with cobalt blues and bottle greens? Our new work with former DBS grad student Saoirse Foley suggests that green color could be used in crypsis while blues possibly in inter- and intra-sexual signalling based on most genera we examined exhibiting a high degree of opsin diversity seen in colorful jumping spiders.