Brazilian red and white tarantula

Female

Nhandu chromatus is a Brazilian Vogelspinnenart. Individual specimens have been discovered in the Brazilian state of Piauí. This species was described by Günter Schmidt in 2004. The species name comes from the ancient Greek word χρωμα ( in German color). It was so named because the spider is colored very noticeable. The spiders are among the ground-dwelling species and dig their burrows in the soil. You have to defend them stinging hairs on the abdomen, they can strip at risk. The species is sometimes kept in the terrarium and is relatively easy to breed. Offspring are therefore often offered in the pet trade ( retailing, or exchanges).

The life and habitat

Not much is known about the distribution and their way of life in nature. In captivity, they show partly a strong grave end and a strong spinning activity. They dress their burrow with spider silk. When they are disturbed, they often put their stinging hairs on the opisthosoma one. A pairing in captivity is possible and the cocoons contain up to 700 eggs. The larvae are very small and develop slowly.

Features

The females reach a length of the Beißklauen to the spinnerets of six inches. The males are usually smaller and reach a body length of four to five inches.

The animals have a black ground color. The tarsi have a narrow white horizontal stripes at the base of the transition to the metatarsals. In the transition from metatarsus to tibial spiders possess a broad white horizontal stripes, which is present on both limbs. The tibiae in addition two white longitudinal stripes have similar Aphonopelma seemanni. Such longitudinal stiffeners can be found on the patella. The patella has the transition to the tibia a white horizontal stripes. The femur, however, is uniformly colored black. of metatarsus to patella find longer white to reddish hairs that give the spider a very hairy appearance. In the femur there are long black hair. The Beißklauen are dark colored to black. The opisthosoma is black and has long red hair. It seems thus that of Brachypelma vagans very similar. On the opisthosoma are stinging hairs. Therefore, the tarantulas belong to the so-called "Bombardier spiders ". In the female the carapace is provided with a pale - gray hair. In the male the carapace is dark brown to black color. The tibial apophyses of male buttons have a tight-fitting pin-like pricks. The animals have no Stridulatory strikers.

They resemble in color the way Acanthoscurria geniculata. Therefore, it was sometimes referred to as " doppelganger " before their first description. A. geniculata, in contrast to N. chromatus a black carapace and does not have red hair on the legs and on the opisthosoma. But the way is also like the related species Nhandu coloratovillosus. This has but one dünkleren carapace and the longitudinal stripes on the tibia and patella are less pronounced. The chelicerae, however, are more brightly colored than in N. chromatus and have about the same color as the patellae.

Systematic problem

Animals of this species were mistakenly confused in the pet trade with the kind Lasiodora cristata ( Mello - Leitão, 1923). A female of this species was described in 1923 as Acanthoscurria cristata. It was then moved to the genus Pamphobeteus 1964. 1998, the species was then assigned to the genus Vitalius. 2001, this species was finally attributed by the arachnologists Rogério Bertani of the genus Lasiodora. Although it is actually to Nhandu chromatus in the animals in the terrarium and commercially, were found by various errors of species names: Acanthoscurria cristata, Pamphobeteus cristatus, Vitalius christatus and Lasiodora cristata.

This error has been maintained by the arachnologists long time. A male of Nhandu chromatus was described by M. Baumgarten arachnological Gazette in 1998 as a male from Vitalius cristatus, although he already guesses extreme that it could be a new way. 2004, the animals were described as Nhandu chromatus eventually. The animals in trade and private terraria now a thing of this kind.