''Ephebopus'' 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 ...

of northeastern South American

tarantulas 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 ...

that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1892. Its relation to other tarantulas is one of the most uncertain in the family, and it has been frequently moved around and has been placed in each of the eight subfamilies at least once.

Description

They normally grows to a legspan of . Most live in burrows, though ''E. murinus'' spends an adolescent stage living in trees. Like many other

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

tarantulas, these spiders will brush

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 from their bodies as a defense against potential

predation Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

. However, these spiders are unique because instead of the abdomen, these hairs are located on the

pedipalp Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi) are the second pair of appendages of chelicerates – a group of arthropods including spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. The pedipalps are lateral to the chelicerae ("jaws") an ...

s, and are removed by rubbing the palps against the

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 ...

Diagnosis

They can be differentiated from all other tarantulas by the urticating patch of type 5

s, on the

femora.

Species

it contains five species, found in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the nor ...

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

, and

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label= French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas ...

: *''

Ephebopus cyanognathus ''Ephebopus cyanognathus'', known as the blue fang tarantula, is a species of tarantula (family Theraphosidae). It is endemic to French Guiana.West, R. C. & S. D. Marshall. (2000) Description of two new species of ''Ephebopus'' Simon, 1892 (Aran ...

'' West & Marshall, 2000 –

*''

Ephebopus foliatus ''Ephebopus foliatus'' is a species of tarantula 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 desc ...

'' West, Marshall, Fukushima & Bertani, 2008 –

*''

Ephebopus murinus The skeleton tarantula, ''Ephebopus murinus'', is a species of spider belonging to the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas), sub-family Aviculariinae. A New World species, it is native to several South American countries. Its common name is derived ...

'' (Walckenaer, 1837) ( type) – French Guiana,

*''

Ephebopus rufescens ''Ephebopus rufescens'', known as the red skeleton tarantula, is a species of tarantula (family Theraphosidae). It is found in French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label= French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is ...

'' West & Marshall, 2000 – French Guiana, Brazil *''

Ephebopus uatuman ''Ephebopus uatuman'' also known as the Emerald Skeleton Tarantula is a tarantula native to Brazil. It was first described by Lucas, Silva and Bertani in 1992. It is named after the Uatuman River. Description Females of this species live for ...

'' Lucas, Silva & Bertani, 1992 – Brazil

In synonymy

* ''E. bistriatus'' (C. L. Koch, 1838) = ''

'' (Walckenaer, 1837)

Nomen Dubium

* ''Ephebopus fossor'' Pocock, 1903 -

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

Transferred to other genera

* ''Ephebopus violaceus'' Mello-Leitão, 1930 → ''

Tapinauchenius plumipes ''Tapinauchenius plumipes'', the orange tree spider, is a tarantula endemic to French Guiana. It was first described by Ludovico Di Caporiacco in 1954. Its previous name, ''Tapinauchenius gigas'' was based on the latin word for giant, being gigas ...

References

Theraphosidae genera Spiders of South America Theraphosidae {{Theraphosidae-stub