''Plesiopelma'' 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 n ...

of 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

Reginald Innes Pocock Reginald Innes Pocock F.R.S. (4 March 1863 – 9 August 1947) was a British zoologist. Pocock was born in Clifton, Bristol, the fourth son of Rev. Nicholas Pocock and Edith Prichard. He began showing interest in natural history at St. Edwar ...

in 1901. ''Plesiopelma'' species are particularly abundant along mountainous ranges, frequently living under stones. Both males and females live in silk tubes under stones with aggregate spatial distribution. The walls of these tunnels are covered by waterproof silk, protecting them from floods. In addition, there is a uniform saturated microclimate inside the tunnel, which protects the spiders from dehydration.

Species

it contains eleven species, found in

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

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 ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

, and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

: *'' Plesiopelma aspidosperma'' Ferretti & Barneche, 2013 –

*'' Plesiopelma gertschi'' (

Caporiacco Ludovico di Caporiacco (22 January 1900, in Udine – 18 July 1951, in Parma) was an Italian arachnologist. Caporiacco took part in an expedition to the Jebel Uweinat, a mountain massif in the boundary region of Sudan, Libya, and Egypt. On t ...

, 1955) –

*'' Plesiopelma imperatrix'' Piza, 1976 –

*'' Plesiopelma insulare'' ( Mello-Leitão, 1923) – Brazil *'' Plesiopelma longisternale'' (Schiapelli & Gerschman, 1942) – Argentina,

*'' Plesiopelma minense'' (Mello-Leitão, 1943) – Brazil *'' Plesiopelma myodes'' Pocock, 1901 (

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

) – Uruguay *'' Plesiopelma paganoi'' Ferretti & Barneche, 2013 – Argentina *'' Plesiopelma physopus'' (Mello-Leitão, 1926) – Brazil *'' Plesiopelma rectimanum'' (Mello-Leitão, 1923) – Brazil *'' Plesiopelma semiaurantiacum'' ( Simon, 1897) –

, Uruguay Formerly included: *''P. flavohirtum'' (Simon, 1889) (Transferred to '' Catanduba'')

References

Theraphosidae genera Spiders of South America Taxa named by R. I. Pocock Theraphosidae {{Theraphosidae-stub

Species

See also

References