''Eucratoscelus pachypus'' also known as the Tanzania stout leg baboon tarantula or the stout leg tarantula, was first described by

Gunter Schmidt Gunter Schmidt (born 22 November 1938) is a Germans, German sexologist, psychotherapist and social psychologist. He was born in Berlin. Schmidt was the director of the centre for sexual research in the clinic of the University Medical Center Ham ...

and Volker von Wirth in 1990. It is found in

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

, hailing from arid parts, and is an obligate burrower.

Description

Females

The

carapace A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the unde ...

of females is a dark brown color, 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 ...

being black, with brownish reddish hairs covering it. Their first two legs are a light brown or grey color, sometimes looking a shade of golden. The third set of legs are black with golden lines in their segmentation. The legs closest to the

are black, large and fluffy compared to the others, with golden lines in their segmentation.

Males

Males lack the stout legs found in females. The

of males are a golden brown color, the

is golden brown in color with a zig zag line moving vertically in the center. The legs are a lighter golden brown that the rest of the

tarantula 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 ...

, reaching all the way to the trochanter, where its the same golden brown color as the

. The legs being covered in grayish hairs.

Habitat

They inhabit open

savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

and

scrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...

areas in

. As such

Mkomazi National Park Mkomazi National Park is a national park in Tanzania, located in Same District of Kilimanjaro Region and Lushoto District, with a slither of the park in Mkinga District both of Tanga Region. It was established as a game reserve in 1951 and upg ...

will be the reference for this section. With average temperatures of 24°C and average yearly rain of 718mm with animals such as

Zebra Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), the plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. ...

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

s and Black Rhinos. And plants such as African myrrh, Arabic Gum tree and Glossy-Leaved corkwood.

Behavior

This species is an obligate burrower, and make deep vertical tunnel, with a

burrow file:Chipmunk-burrow (exits).jpg, An eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of Animal lo ...

at the bottom. They own a calmer behavior than other in the

Harpactirinae The Harpactirinae (commonly called baboon spiders) are a subfamily of tarantulas which are native to the continent of Africa. Like many Old World tarantulas, they have a relatively strong venom and can inflict a painful bite. Description Harpa ...

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

, they most often run into their hide before getting aggressive. They own an incredible speed with a painful bite.

Breeding

This

is notoriously hard to breed, as most of the specimens for sale are wild caught females. Males are few and far between to come by, as they are usually not believe to be of the same species, as they lack those study legs. Add this to the fact they have a distinct courtship, thankfully this species have been consistently breed in multiple areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2013846 Theraphosidae Spiders described in 1990 Spiders of Africa