Aphonopelma

Aphonopelma chalcodes

Aphonopelma is a genus of tarantulas, which was erected in 1901 by Reginald Innes Pocock British arachnologists. With over 90 species, it is a very species-rich genus within the subfamily Theraphosinae. The distribution is restricted to the American continent. Most species occur in the United States; but there are also some species in Central America and a few in South America.

Features

To this genus belong the largest spiders in the United States. The North American Aphonopelma helluo, Aphonopelma Aphonopelma chamberlini crinitum and reach body lengths of up to 7.0 inches. The smallest members of this genus are Aphonopelma Aphonopelma Marxi and radinum. The males of these species are only 19 to 20 millimeters long. Most species reach an average body length of five centimeters and therefore belong to the medium-sized bird species of spiders.

The genus is very heterogeneous in appearance and behavior. The classification of the South American species is therefore considered by some arachnologists in doubt. A commonality among the Aphonopelmaarten is that the Skopula ( thick tufts of hair ) are not separated by a bristle band at the tarsi of the fourth round of the leg. Another commonality is that they all have the same charm hair type.

Most Aphonoplema species have a brown base color and can be difficult to distinguish externally. In particular, the North American species very similar. The southern species sometimes have a very distinct and characteristic drawing such as the Striped Guatemala Tarantula ( Aphonopelma seemanni ) with a blue base color and white stripes or Aphonopelma bicoloratum with intense orange -colored legs of the patella to the metatarsus, and carapace and Beißklauen.

Behavior

The species of this genus are among the soil-dwelling tarantulas. They dig holes and burrows into the soil; mostly in a protected against flooding hillside. Sometimes they behausen also abandoned rodent holes. They paper the burrows with silk spinning and live there during the molting stages of the breeding season and the winter months. This time may be up to five months in a year. The rest of the time they hide under rocks, roots, pieces of bark or leaf litter. Adult females of many species no longer leave the burrow and often feed on the prey that pass near their burrow.

Some species are synanthropic, the scale of human meadows (such as football fields) inhabit. Under favorable conditions, it may be a colony -like accumulation of the animals. Otherwise, they are widely dispersed. The most Aphonopelma species have a calm character and put their charm hair rarely a defense.

Habitat

Most species come from low altitudes no higher than 700 meters above sea level. Few, however, come from altitudes up to 1000 meters above sea level before. Some Aphonopelma species ( for example Aphonopelma bicoloratum ) specialized in landscapes with volcanic rocks such as volcanic area in the state of Veracruz in Mexico ( 500 masl ). Some prefer well- editable loess.

Attitude in the terrarium

Some types are maintained in terrariums. Here it should be mentioned especially the Striped Guatemala tarantula, which was one of the first held by lovers tarantulas their way into the trade.

Species

The following species are attributed according to " World Spider Catalog" of the genus Aphonopelma:

  • Aphonopelma aberrans ( Chamberlin, 1917)
  • Aphonopelma anax ( Chamberlin, 1940)
  • Aphonopelma anita hope Mannä Locht et al., 2005
  • Aphonopelma apacheum Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma armada ( Chamberlin, 1940)
  • Aphonopelma arnoldi Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma baergi Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma behlei Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma bicoloratum Struchen, Brandle & Schmidt, 1996
  • Aphonopelma bistriatum (C. L. Koch, 1838)
  • Aphonopelma braunshausenii Tesmoingt, 1996
  • Aphonopelma breenei Smith, 1995 Aphonopelma chalcodes, females
  • Aphonopelma brunnius Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma Burica Valerio, 1980
  • Aphonopelma caniceps (Simon, 1891)
  • Aphonopelma chalcodes Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma chamberlini Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma chambersi Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma clarki Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma Clarum Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma coloradanum ( Chamberlin, 1940)
  • Aphonopelma cookei Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma cratium Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma crinirufum ( Valerio, 1980)
  • Aphonopelma crinitum ( Pocock, 1901)
  • Aphonopelma cryptethum Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma duplex ( Chamberlin, 1925)
  • Aphonopelma echinum ( Chamberlin, 1940)
  • Aphonopelma eustathes ( Chamberlin, 1940)
  • Aphonopelma eutylenum Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma Gabeli Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma geotoma ( Chamberlin, 1937)
  • Aphonopelma gertschi Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma griseum Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma gurleyi Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma hageni ( beach, 1906)
  • Aphonopelma harlingenum ( Chamberlin, 1940) Aphonopelma hentzi
  • Aphonopelma helluo (Simon, 1891)
  • Aphonopelma hentzi ( Girard, 1852)
  • Aphonopelma hesperum ( Chamberlin, 1917)
  • Aphonopelma heterops Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma hollyi Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma iodius ( Chamberlin & Ivie, 1939)
  • Aphonopelma iviei Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma joshua Prentice, 1997
  • Aphonopelma jungi Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma lanceolatum (Simon, 1891)
  • Aphonopelma latens ( Chamberlin, 1917)
  • Aphonopelma levii Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma lithodomum Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma Marxi (Simon, 1891)
  • Aphonopelma minchi Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma moderatum ( Chamberlin & Ivie, 1939)
  • Aphonopelma mojave Prentice, 1997
  • Aphonopelma mooreae Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma nayaritum Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma odelli Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma pallidum (F. O. P. - Cambridge, 1897)
  • Aphonopelma paloma Prentice, 1993
  • Aphonopelma pedatum ( beach, 1907)
  • Aphonopelma phanum Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma phasmus Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma platnicki Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma prosoicum Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma punzoi Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma radinum ( Chamberlin & Ivie, 1939)
  • Aphonopelma Reversum Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma rothi Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma ruedanum Chamberlin, 1940
  • Aphonopelma rusticum (Simon, 1891)
  • Aphonopelma sander soni Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma schmidti Smith, 1995 Striped Guatemala Tarantula ( Aphonopelma seemanni )
  • Aphonopelma Sclerothrix ( Valerio, 1980)
  • Aphonopelma seemanni (F. O. P. - Cambridge, 1897)
  • Aphonopelma serratum (Simon, 1891)
  • Aphonopelma smithi Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma stahnkei Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma stoicum ( Chamberlin, 1925)
  • Aphonopelma sullivani Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma texense (Simon, 1891)
  • Aphonopelma truncatum (F. O. P. - Cambridge, 1897)
  • Aphonopelma vogelae Smith, 1995
  • Aphonopelma vorhiesi ( Chamberlin & Ivie, 1939)
  • Aphonopelma waconum ( Chamberlin, 1940)
  • Aphonopelma wichitanum ( Chamberlin, 1940)
  • Aphonopelma xanthochromum ( Valerio, 1980)
  • Aphonopelma Zionist Chamberlin, 1940
Middle America (region)
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