''Pelinobius'' or the king baboon is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

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 east African

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 ...

containing the single species, ''Pelinobius muticus''. It was first described by Ferdinand Anton Franz Karsch in 1885, and is found in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

and

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

Description

The king baboon spider is rusty brown to orange in color. They live in the shrublands and

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

s of east Africa, often using vegetation as a protective cover for their burrows. They are one of the few tarantulas that use

stridulation Stridulation is the act of producing sound by rubbing together certain body parts. This behavior is mostly associated with insects, but other animals are known to do this as well, such as a number of species of fish, snakes and spiders. The mech ...

as a major defense mechanism in addition to rearing up and striking. They produce the stridulation sound effect by rubbing the

femurs The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with t ...

of their first and second pairs of legs. They are a slow-growing species, but can reach a leg span of up to . They are burrowing spiders with thick back legs used for digging. They generally hunt beetles,

cockroaches Cockroaches (or roaches) are a paraphyletic group of insects belonging to Blattodea, containing all members of the group except termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known a ...

, and other spiders, and they will put silk near the entrance to its burrow to detect vibrations of passing prey.

In captivity

They are popular among collectors, but they tend to be highly defensive, lacking

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 ...

, and are not suitable for beginners. They have very strong

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...

, though none are known to be deadly to humans. A bite from a smaller spider will cause sharp pain and localized itchiness for five days. Adults can be kept in a converted aquarium if given plenty of ventilation and a substrate at least deep. Younger spiders can be kept in small containers, such as pill tubs and waxworm tubs, but will need deeper containers as they grow.

References

External links

Fauna of East Africa Monotypic Mygalomorphae genera Spiders of Africa Taxa named by Ferdinand Karsch Theraphosidae {{Theraphosidae-stub

Description

In captivity

See also

References

External links