''Cyriopagopus hainanus'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

in the family

Theraphosidae Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although m ...

(tarantulas), found in China. It is one of a number of species from China and Vietnam known as "Chinese bird spider". It produces a venom containing numerous compounds capable of blocking neurotransmitters, including neurotoxic peptides called hainantoxins.

Description

''Cyriopagopus hainanus'' resembles '' C. schmidti'', but can be distinguished by its dark black-brown body and the longer "thorns" on the forward-facing (prolateral) side of the

maxilla The maxilla (plural: ''maxillae'' ) in vertebrates is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. T ...

e. The carapace (upper surface of the cephalothorax is black-brown, the sternum (under surface of the cephalothorax) is red-brown; and the abdomen is dark brown, with six black stripes running across it and a black stripe down the centre of the upper surface. The female is about 60 mm long (body plus

chelicerae The chelicerae () are the mouthparts of the subphylum Chelicerata, an arthropod group that includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. Commonly referred to as " jaws", chelicerae may be shaped as either articulated fangs, or similarl ...

). The first leg is longest, at about 67 mm, the third being the shortest, at about 51 mm. The spermatheca is M-shaped. The male is smaller, about 34 mm long (body plus chelicerae). The fourth leg is the longest, at about 61 mm, the third being the shortest, at about 47 mm. Thus, although the body is significantly smaller than that of the female, the male's legs are of a similar length. The tibiae of the first legs have a spur on the forward-facing side. The

palpal bulb The two palpal bulbs – also known as palpal organs and genital bulbs – are the copulatory organs of a male spider. They are borne on the last segment of the pedipalps (the front "limbs" of a spider), giving the spider an appearance often desc ...

is pear-shaped, with a wide, curved embolus. ''C. hainanus'' makes burrows, lined with silk, and often with silk alarm lines radiating from the mouth. The spider remains in its burrow during the day, emerging only at night to catch prey, mainly large insects.

Taxonomy

''Cyriopagopus hainanus'' was first described, as ''Selenocosmia hainana'' by S. P. Liang,'' et al.'' in 1999. It has since been moved; in 2001, M. S. Zhu, '' et al.'' transferred it to the genus ''Ornithoctonus''. In 2003,

Gunter Schmidt Gunter Schmidt (born 22 November 1938) is a German sexologist, psychotherapist and social psychologist. He was born in Berlin. Schmidt was the director of the centre for sexual research in the clinic of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppe ...

placed the species in the genus '' Haplopelma''. In 2015, it was transferred to the genus ''Cyriopagopus''.

Distribution and habitat

''Cyriopagopus hainanus'' is only known from

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

, an island off the mainland of southern China. It is found on south-facing mountain slopes, steeply sloping at 75 to 85°.

Toxicity

Its venom is the subject of toxicology research, and while the effects of this spider's bite on humans are not well documented, it is frequently lethal in small doses to laboratory animals such as mice and rats. As a result, ''Cyriopagopus hainanus'' is generally regarded as a highly venomous species. The venom is a complex neurotoxin, containing numerous compounds capable of blocking neurotransmitters, including neurotoxic peptides called hainantoxins.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q60144431, from2=Q2385190 Spiders of China Theraphosidae Spiders described in 1999