''Ceratogyrus'' is a genus of tarantulas found in southern Africa. They are commonly called horned baboons for the foveal horn found on the peltidium in some species.

Diagnosis

They are readily distinguished from other African

theraphosid 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 ...

genera by the combined presence of a retrolateral cheliceral scopula, composed of plumose, stridulatory setae, and the strongly procurved fovea. The fovea is typically strongly procurved and in some species surrounds a distinct protuberance. This protuberance may take the form of a simple posterior extension of the caput, a low-set plug or a prominent, discrete conical projection. All ''Ceratogyrus'' species possess a pale yellow anteriorly placed, transverse, sub-abdominal band. This feature is not distinct in other Harpatirinae except ''

Augacephalus junodi ''Augacephalus'' is a genus of harpacterine theraphosid spiders. It has three species, all of which are found in Africa. Taxonomy and etymology The type species of ''Augacephalus'' is ''A. breyeri'' which was described as ''Pterinochilus breye ...

''. The absence of dense, ventral femoral fringes on the palpi and legs I and II distinguish ''Ceratogyrus spp.'' from female '' A. junodi''.

Horn function

'' C. marshalli'' features the biggest horn, where it stands straight up about 1 cm. There are several probable functions for this horn: according to a study by

Rick C. West Rick C. West (born 3 December 1951) is a Canadian arachnologist and an expert on the taxonomy of tarantula spiders. West was born in Victoria, British Columbia. He has been interested in spiders since childhood, and collected his first tarant ...

in 1986, it provides an increased surface for the attachment of the dorsal dilator muscle, which aids in drawing in liquefied food into the sucking stomach at a faster rate; this way, the spider can retreat to a safe place faster. It also increases the area for the midgut diverticula to expand during times of nutrient and water availability, analogous to a camel's hump, helping it to survive in its arid habitat during droughts.

Species

, the World Spider Catalog accepted the following species: *''

Ceratogyrus attonitifer ''Ceratogyrus'' is a genus of tarantulas found in southern Africa. They are commonly called horned baboons for the foveal horn found on the peltidium in some species. Diagnosis They are readily distinguished from other African theraphosid gen ...

'' Engelbrecht, 2019 – Angola *''

Ceratogyrus brachycephalus ''Ceratogyrus brachycephalus'' (greater horned baboon tarantula) is an old world terrestrial tarantula that grows to a legspan of up to 5 inches (12 cm).EightGreater Horned Baboon The common name comes from the "horn", or protuberance, ...

'' Hewitt, 1919 – Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa *'' Ceratogyrus darlingi'' Pocock, 1897 ( type species) – Southern Africa *''

Ceratogyrus dolichocephalus ''Ceratogyrus dolichocephalus'' is a species of tarantula. It is endemic to Zimbabwe. See also * List of Theraphosidae species This page lists all described genera and species of the spider family Theraphosidae. , the World Spider Catalog a ...

'' Hewitt, 1919 – Zimbabwe *''

Ceratogyrus hillyardi ''Ceratogyrus'' is a genus of tarantulas found in southern Africa. They are commonly called horned baboons for the foveal horn found on the peltidium in some species. Diagnosis They are readily distinguished from other African theraphosid ge ...

'' (Smith, 1990) – Malawi *'' Ceratogyrus marshalli'' Pocock, 1897 – Zimbabwe, Mozambique *''

Ceratogyrus meridionalis ''Ceratogyrus meridionalis'', commonly known as the Zimbabwe grey baboon tarantula or the grey mustard baboon, is a species of tarantula. It is found in Malawi and Mozambique. See also * List of Theraphosidae species This page lists all des ...

'' (Hirst, 1907) – Malawi, Mozambique *''

Ceratogyrus paulseni ''Ceratogyrus'' is a genus of tarantulas found in southern Africa. They are commonly called horned baboons for the foveal horn found on the peltidium in some species. Diagnosis They are readily distinguished from other African theraphosid gen ...

'' Gallon, 2005 – South Africa *'' Ceratogyrus pillansi'' (Purcell, 1902) – Zimbabwe, Mozambique *'' Ceratogyrus sanderi'' Strand, 1906 – Namibia, Zimbabwe ;In synonymy *''Ceratogyrus bechuanicus'' (Purcell, 1902) = '' Ceratogyrus darlingi'' *''Ceratogyrus cornuatus'' (De Wet & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1991) = '' Ceratogyrus marshalli'' *''Ceratogyrus schultzei'' Purcell, 1908 = '' Ceratogyrus darlingi'' ;Transferred to other genera *''Ceratogyrus ezendami'' Gallon, 2001 → ''

Augacephalus ezendami ''Augacephalus ezendami'' is a tarantula found in Mozambique, it was first described by Richard C. Gallon in 2001. It is named after Thomas Ezendam, whom provided Gallon with numerous specimens. Description ''A. ezendami'' has a black carapace ...

'' *''Ceratogyrus nigrifemur'' (Schmidt, 1995) → ''

'' *''Ceratogyrus raveni'' (Smith, 1990) → ''

Pterinochilus chordatus ''Pterinochilus chordatus'', or Kilimanjaro mustard baboon spider, is an old-world tarantula, first described in 1873 by Carl Eduard Adolph Gerstaecker. This species is found on the East side of the African continent, from South Kordofan in Suda ...

References

* Pocock, R.I. (1897). On the spiders of the suborder Mygalomorphae from the Ethiopian Region, contained in the collection of the British Museum. ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 1897:724-774. * West, R.C. (1986). ''Ceratogyrus''. ''Journal of the British Tarantula Society'' 1(4):79-80. * Gallon, R.C. (2001). Revision of the ''Ceratogyrus'' spp. formerly included in ''Coelogenium'' (Araneae: Theraphosidae, Harpactirinae). ''Mygalomorph'' 2:1-20
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* Messenger, P. (2004). Captive Breeding ''Ceratogyrus meridionalis''. ''J. Brit. Tarantula Soc.'' 19(4):113-117
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* Gallon, R.C. (2005c). A new species of theraphosid spider from Southern Africa (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Harpactirinae) with distributional notes on other harpactirines. ''Bull. Br. arachnol. Soc.'' 13(5):179-184
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(''C. paulseni'')

External links

* Photos of thre
''Ceratogyrus''
species in gallery o
tarantulas
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1813011 Theraphosidae Spiders of Africa Theraphosidae genera