''Caribena'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

spider Spiders (order (biology), order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight limbs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude spider silk, silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and ran ...

s in the family

Theraphosidae Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,100 species have been identified, with 166 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...

(tarantulas), found in the

Antilles The Antilles is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east. The Antillean islands are divided into two smaller groupings: the Greater An ...

. The two species accepted were formerly placed in ''

Avicularia ''Avicularia'' is a genus of the Family (biology), 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 distinguishab ...

''. 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 descr ...

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 ...

. 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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

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 ''Caribena laeta'' is a species of spider in the family Theraphosidae, found in the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, the last dubiously according to Caroline Fukushima and Rogério Bertani in 2017. It was first described by Carl Ludwig ...

'' (C.L. Koch, 1842) –

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

US Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a Territories of the United States, territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Isl ...

*''

Caribena versicolor ''Caribena'' is a genus of spiders in the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas), found in the Antilles. The two species accepted were formerly placed in ''Avicularia''. Apart from a different distribution – ''Avicularia'' species are found in mai ...

'' (Walckenaer, 1837) –

Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...

In synonymy

* ''Caribena caesia'' (C. L. Koch, 1842) = ''

'' * ''Caribena rutilans'' (Ausserer, 1875) = ''

Gallery

File:Caribena laeta female ZK241.jpg, Female ''

''; arrow marks urticating hairs File:Caribena laeta male ZK242.jpg, Male ''

'' File:Caribena laeta immature ZK239.jpg, Immature ''

'' File:Caribena versicolor 9 Fh.jpg, alt=, ''

'' female File:Caribena versicolor sling on leave.jpg, alt=, Immature ''

References

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