''Caribena'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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 ...

s 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 the

Antilles The Antilles (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mex ...

. The two species accepted were formerly placed in ''

Avicularia ''Avicularia'' is a genus of the family Theraphosidae containing various species of arboreal tarantulas. The genus is native to Panama, the Caribbean and tropical South America. Each species in the genus has very distinguishable pink foot pads. ...

''. Apart from a different distribution – ''Avicularia'' species are found in mainland South and Central America – ''Caribena'' is distinguished by having longer and thinner type II

urticating hair Urticating hairs or urticating bristles are one of the primary defense mechanisms used by numerous plants, almost all New World tarantulas, and various lepidopteran caterpillars. ''Urtica'' is Latin for "nettle" (stinging nettles are in the genu ...

s in a conspicuous patch on the upper surface of the abdomen. Males also have a differently shaped

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 ...

Diagnostic

They own type 2

urticating hairs Urticating hairs or urticating bristles are one of the primary defense mechanisms used by numerous plants, almost all New World tarantulas, and various lepidopteran caterpillars. ''Urtica'' is Latin for "nettle" (stinging nettles are in the genu ...

, which are very slender, on a clearly visible area of the

opisthosoma The opisthosoma is the posterior part of the body in some arthropods, behind the prosoma ( cephalothorax). It is a distinctive feature of the subphylum Chelicerata (arachnids, horseshoe crabs and others). Although it is similar in most respects to ...

. These hairs being longer than 1mm. And males can also be distinguished by the sharp spine like "process" in the retrolateral face of the cymbium.

Taxonomy

The genus was erected in 2017 by Caroline Fukushima and

Rogério Bertani Rogério Bertani is a Brazilian arachnologist, active at the Butantan Institute. He is credited as one of the foremost specialists in Theraphosidae Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , ...

for two species formerly placed in ''

''. The genus name is derived from the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

word ''caribeña'', meaning "from the Caribbean". Species of ''Caribena'' are distinguished from those of related genera by the possession of long (more than 1 mm) and very thin (less than 9 µm) type II

s carried on a conspicuous patch on the upper rear surface of the abdomen. Males have a pointed outgrowth (process) on the retrolateral lobe of the cymbium of the

Species

, the

World Spider Catalog The World Spider Catalog (WSC) is an online searchable database concerned with spider taxonomy. It aims to list all accepted families, genera and species, as well as provide access to the related taxonomic literature. The WSC began as a series of ...

accepted the following species, both transferred from the genus ''

'': *'' Caribena laeta'' (C.L. Koch, 1842) –

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

US Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

*'' Caribena versicolor'' (Walckenaer, 1837) –

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

In synonymy

* ''Caribena caesia'' (C. L. Koch, 1842) = '' Caribena laeta'' * ''Caribena rutilans'' (Ausserer, 1875) = '' Caribena versicolor''

Gallery

File:Caribena laeta female ZK241.jpg, Female '' Caribena laeta''; arrow marks urticating hairs File:Caribena laeta male ZK242.jpg, Male '' Caribena laeta'' File:Caribena laeta immature ZK239.jpg, Immature '' Caribena laeta'' File:Caribena versicolor 9 Fh.jpg, alt=, '' Caribena versicolor'' female File:Caribena versicolor sling on leave.jpg, alt=, Immature '' Caribena versicolor''

References

Theraphosidae Theraphosidae genera Spiders of the Caribbean {{Theraphosidae-stub