Tapinauchenius
| Tapinauchenius | |
|---|---|
| |
| Tapinauchenius cupreus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Theraphosidae |
| Genus: | Tapinauchenius Ausserer, 1871[1] |
| Type species | |
| T. plumipes (C. L. Koch, 1842)
| |
| Species | |
|
9, see text | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Tapinauchenius is a genus of tarantulas that was first described by Anton Ausserer in 1871.[2] The name is a combination of the Greek ταπεινός, meaning "low", and αὐχήν, meaning "neck".[3] In 2022, the genus Pseudoclamoris was transferred to Tapinauchenius.[4]
Description[edit]
They have true iridescent colors that change based on the amount of light and viewing angle. They are relatively small compared to sister genus Psalmopoeus, averaging about 4 to 4.5 inches (100 to 110 mm) long. They lack urticating hairs and are arboreal, often found in tree cavities. Many species have "dimples" on the abdomen, but this feature is not universal. Although their behavior is defensive, they lack both urticating hairs and the ability to stridulate, giving them a very mild venom. Their egg sacs can contain up to 200 spiderlings.
Diagnosis[edit]
They differ from all of the other Psalmopoeinae genera by the lack of stridulatory organs in the palpal coxa, and from Ephebopus by the lack of urticating hairs on palpal femora. The species of this genus also lacks ontogenetic pattern change, in other words, juveniles are uniformly colored, as compared to other genus, in which juveniles have a different pattern than adults.[5]
Pet ownership[edit]
This genus is well known by hobbyists for their incredible speed and striking coloration, but is not recommended for inexperienced owners. They are extremely skittish and defensive, and combined with their speed, handling them is not recommended. They thrive in environments that mimic the tropics, with a temperature from 70 to 80 °F (21 to 27 °C) and a relative humidity of 70% to 85%. The height of their enclosure is more important than floor space, preferring 14 inches (360 mm) of height and at least 7 to 8 inches (180 to 200 mm) of floor space. They prefer organic potting soil with the wood removed, though similar substrates can be substituted. Their diet consists of crickets, roaches, worms, or generic tarantula food, and most need a shallow dish of water or occasional misting. With proper care, these spiders can live for up to eighteen years.
Species[edit]
The genus Tapinauchenius was erected by Anton Ausserer in 1871 for the species Tapinauchenius plumipes, first described by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1842 in the genus Mygale and then moved by him to the genus Eurypelma.[1][3] As of February 2022[update] it contains nine species, found only in South America and the Caribbean:[1]
- Tapinauchenius brunneus Schmidt, 1995 – Brazil
- Tapinauchenius cupreus Schmidt & Bauer, 1996 – Ecuador
- Tapinauchenius gretae Cifuentes & Bertani, 2022 – Brazil
- Tapinauchenius herrerai Gabriel & Sherwood, 2022 - Panama
- Tapinauchenius latipes L. Koch, 1875 – Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana
- Tapinauchenius plumipes (C. L. Koch, 1842) (type) – Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil
- Tapinauchenius polybotes Hüsser, 2018 – Lesser Antilles (St. Lucia)
- Tapinauchenius rasti Hüsser, 2018 – Lesser Antilles (St. Vincent and the Grenadines)
- Tapinauchenius sanctivincenti (Walckenaer, 1837) – St. Vincent
In synonymy[edit]
- Tapinauchenius concolor (Caporiacco, 1947) = Tapinauchenius plumipes
- Tapinauchenius deborri (Becker, 1879) = Tapinauchenius plumipes
- Tapinauchenius gigas (Caporiacco, 1954) = Tapinauchenius plumipes
- Tapinauchenius purpureus Schmidt, 1995 = Tapinauchenius plumipes
- Tapinauchenius violaceus (Mello-Leitão, 1930) = Tapinauchenius plumipes
Nomen dubium[edit]
- Tapinauchenius caerulescens Simon, 1891 - United States
- Tapinauchenius subcaeruleus Bauer & Antonelli, 1997 - Ecuador
- Tapinauchenius texensis Simon, 1891 - United States
Transferred to other genera[edit]
- Tapinauchenius elenae Schmidt, 1994 → Amazonius elenae
- Tapinauchenius grossus (Ausserer, 1871) → Grammostola grossa
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Gloor, Daniel; Nentwig, Wolfgang; Blick, Theo; Kropf, Christian (2022). "Gen. Tapinauchenius Ausserer, 1871". World Spider Catalog Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ^ Ausserer, A. (1871). "Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Arachniden-Familie der Territelariae Thorell (Mygalidae Autor)". Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien. 21: 117–224.
- ^ a b Ausserer, Anton (1871). Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Arachniden-Familie der Territelariae Thorell (Mygalidae Autor) (in German). Vienna: Überreuter. p. 201.
- ^ CIFUENTES, YEIMY; BERTANI, ROGERIO (2022-02-23). "Taxonomic revision and cladistic analysis of the tarantula genera Tapinauchenius Ausserer, 1871, Psalmopoeus Pocock, 1985, and Amazonius n. gen. (Theraphosidae, Psalmopoeinae)". Zootaxa. 5101 (1): 1–123. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5101.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 35391055. S2CID 247076399.
- ^ Hüsser, Martin (2018-12-09). "A first phylogenetic analysis reveals a new arboreal tarantula genus from South America with description of a new species and two new species of Tapinauchenius Ausserer, 1871 (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Theraphosidae)". ZooKeys (784): 59–93. Bibcode:2018ZooK..784...59H. doi:10.3897/zookeys.784.26521. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 6160856. PMID 30279631.
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