''Aphonopelma paloma'', or the Paloma dwarf, is a species of

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 ...

belonging to 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 ...

Distribution and habitat

The Paloma dwarf can be found in Southern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, but require meticulous surveying to spot. This is not only due to their small size, as the entrances of their burrows are usually only 5–10 mm in width.Native USA Tarantulas
ATSHQ.org. Accessed June 14, 2012.

References

* http://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_free/JoA_v20_n3/JoA_v20_p189.pdf paloma Spiders of the United States Natural history of Arizona Spiders described in 1993 {{Theraphosidae-stub