Pterinochilus murinus
Pterinochilus murinus, females
Pterinochilus murinus (synonym Pterinochilus mamillatus, in German sometimes Usambara Red Tarantula or tarantula Mombasa, very rarely also called woolly hair tarantula ) was described in 1897 by Reginald Innes Pocock. Its distribution area is located on the African continent in Angola, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa.
Appearance
The Red Usambara tarantula comes in their area of distribution available in various color forms. These range from bright red - orange or brick red to yellow, beige and brown to gray. It is about four to six inches tall. Males only reach a body length of two to four inches. Legs, pro-and opisthosoma have the same basic color. The legs have bright leg rings. The carapace has a star-shaped pattern. On the opisthosoma a herringbone pattern is recognizable. The spinnerets lift in color does not depend on the rest of the body. The ocular tubercle is located on a slightly elevated part of the front carapace. The body is hairy uniformly short. On the legs some longer hairs are present. The males have on the first pair of legs, a tibial apophysis with a significant Enddorn.
Behavior
The animals are in their natural environment clearly bottom dwellers that dig deep burrows. In the natural habitat the animals show their main activity in the rainy season. This type is more active at night. She only comes out in the evenings, at dusk.
Reproduction
Has the male touches the cobwebs of the female, it usually begins with its buttons to drumming. Replies the female with own drums with the first two pairs of legs, the male slowly approaches the dwelling of the female. When approaching the male drumming continues, further is to detect a vibration of the male well. The female usually comes to the outcome of their habitation, where, after further drums and vibration takes place the pairing. In this case, the male caulked the female high with his shin hook. Under drums of a probe against the sternum ( bottom of the front body ) of the female, the male leads the other button to the genital opening of the female. The switches are alternately introduced. After the successful introduction of both buttons the male betrommelt briefly the sternum of the female, and then quickly escape from the reach of the female. If the female does not voluntarily from their dwelling, the male attempts to lure it out by drums at the entrance and vibrates. Some of the male goes into the housing of the female.
Taxonomy
Reginald Innes Pocock 1897 erected the genus Pterinochilus to which he presented some tarantulas that counted previously to the genus Harpactira, including Pterinochilus chordatus. In the same paper he also described Pterinochilus murinus as a new species of this genus, according to a copy that was found in Tanganyika. The German term refers to the occurrence in the Usambara Mountains, which are also present in Tanzania and belonged to the time of the first description to German East Africa.
Until the revision of the genus by Richard C. Gallon in 2002, the red color variant was known as Pterinochilus mamillatus. This color variant was described in 1906 by Embrik beach as a separate species, but it was merged in 2002 with Pterinochilus murinus. The name Pterinochilus mamillatus is no longer valid, but is considered as a junior synonym of Pterinochilus murinus.
Gallery
Young animal
Males on hand
Usambra Mountains variant
Females in Drohstellung