''Tapinauchenius'' 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 ...

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

Anton Ausserer Anton Ausserer (5 July 184320 July 1889)Maurer, Ferdinand: ''Nachruf an Dr. Anton Ausserer.'' Programm des kk. acad. Gymnasiums in Grätz. Graz 1890 was an Austrian naturalist specialising in spiders.Bonnet, Pierre: Bibliographia aranearum, Les ...

in 1871. The name is a combination of the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

, meaning "low", and , meaning "neck". In 2022, the genus ''Pseudoclamoris'' was transferred to ''Tapinauchenius''.

Description

They have true iridescent colors that change based on the amount of light and viewing angle. They are relatively small compared to sister genus ''

Psalmopoeus Psalmopoeus is a genus of the family ''Theraphosidae'' containing various species of tarantulas. The genus is native to Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Brazil, Belize, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Mexico, Guat ...

'', averaging about long. They lack

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 gen ...

s and are arboreal, often found in tree cavities. Many species have "dimples" on the abdomen, but this feature is not universal. Although their behavior is defensive, they lack both urticating hairs and the ability to

stridulate 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 ...

, giving them a very mild venom. Their egg sacs can contain up to 200 spiderlings.

Diagnosis

They differ from all of the other Psalmopoeinae genera by the lack of stridulatory organs in the

palpal Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi) are the second pair of appendages of chelicerates – a group of arthropods including spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. The pedipalps are lateral to the chelicerae ("jaws") an ...

coxa, and from '' Ephebopus'' by the lack of

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 genus ...

femora. The species of this genus also lacks ontogenetic pattern change, in other words, juveniles are uniformly colored, as compared to other genus, in which juveniles have a different pattern than adults.

Pet ownership

This genus is well known by hobbyists for their incredible speed and striking coloration, but is not recommended for inexperienced owners. They are extremely skittish and defensive, and combined with their speed, handling them is not recommended. They thrive in environments that mimic the tropics, with a temperature from and a relative humidity of 70% to 85%. The height of their enclosure is more important than floor space, preferring of height and at least of floor space. They prefer organic potting soil with the wood removed, though similar substrates can be substituted. Their diet consists of crickets, roaches, worms, or generic tarantula food, and most need a shallow dish of water or occasional misting. With proper care, these spiders can live for up to eighteen years.

Species

The genus ''Tapinauchenius'' was erected by

in 1871 for the species ''

Tapinauchenius plumipes ''Tapinauchenius plumipes'', the orange tree spider, is a tarantula endemic to French Guiana. It was first described by Ludovico Di Caporiacco in 1954. Its previous name, ''Tapinauchenius gigas'' was based on the latin word for giant, being gigas ...

'', first described by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1842 in the genus ''Mygale'' and then moved by him to the genus ''Eurypelma''. it contains nine species, found only in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

and the Caribbean: *''

Tapinauchenius brunneus ''Tapinauchenius'' is a genus of tarantulas that was first described by Anton Ausserer in 1871. The name is a combination of the Greek , meaning "low", and , meaning "neck". In 2022, the genus ''Pseudoclamoris'' was transferred to ''Tapinauchen ...

Schmidt Schmidt may refer to: * Schmidt (surname), including list of people with the surname * Schmidt (singer) (born 1990), German pop and jazz singer * Schmidt (lunar crater), a small lunar impact crater * Schmidt (Martian crater), a crater on Mars * ...

, 1995 –

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 ...

*''

Tapinauchenius cupreus ''Tapinauchenius'' is a genus of 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 m ...

'' Schmidt & Bauer, 1996 –

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

*''

Tapinauchenius gretae ''Tapinauchenius'' is a genus of tarantulas that was first described by Anton Ausserer in 1871. The name is a combination of the Greek , meaning "low", and , meaning "neck". In 2022, the genus ''Pseudoclamoris'' was transferred to ''Tapinauchenius ...

'' Cifuentes & Bertani, 2022 – Brazil *''

Tapinauchenius herrerai ''Tapinauchenius'' is a genus of tarantulas that was first described by Anton Ausserer in 1871. The name is a combination of the Greek , meaning "low", and , meaning "neck". In 2022, the genus ''Pseudoclamoris'' was transferred to ''Tapinauchen ...

'' Gabriel & Sherwood, 2022 - Panama *''

Tapinauchenius latipes ''Tapinauchenius'' is a genus of tarantulas that was first described by Anton Ausserer in 1871. The name is a combination of the Greek , meaning "low", and , meaning "neck". In 2022, the genus ''Pseudoclamoris'' was transferred to ''Tapinauchen ...

'' L. Koch, 1875 –

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 ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, small ...

, Guyana *''

'' (C. L. Koch, 1842) (

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 ...

) – Guyana,

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

, Brazil *''

Tapinauchenius polybotes ''Tapinauchenius'' is a genus of tarantulas that was first described by Anton Ausserer in 1871. The name is a combination of the Greek , meaning "low", and , meaning "neck". In 2022, the genus ''Pseudoclamoris'' was transferred to ''Tapinauchen ...

'' Hüsser, 2018 –

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc bet ...

(St. Lucia) *''

Tapinauchenius rasti ''Tapinauchenius'' is a genus of tarantulas that was first described by Anton Ausserer in 1871. The name is a combination of the Greek , meaning "low", and , meaning "neck". In 2022, the genus ''Pseudoclamoris'' was transferred to ''Tapinauchenius ...

'' Hüsser, 2018 – Lesser Antilles (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) *''

Tapinauchenius sanctivincenti ''Tapinauchenius'' is a genus of tarantulas that was first described by Anton Ausserer in 1871. The name is a combination of the Greek , meaning "low", and , meaning "neck". In 2022, the genus ''Pseudoclamoris'' was transferred to ''Tapinauchen ...

'' (

Walckenaer Baron Charles Athanase Walckenaer (25 December 1771 – 28 April 1852) was a French civil servant and scientist. Biography Walckenaer was born in Paris and studied at the universities of Oxford and Glasgow. In 1793 he was appointed head of t ...

, 1837) – St. Vincent

In synonymy

* ''Tapinauchenius concolor'' (Caporiacco, 1947) = ''

'' * ''Tapinauchenius deborri'' (Becker, 1879) = ''

'' * ''Tapinauchenius gigas'' (Caporiacco, 1954) = ''

'' * ''Tapinauchenius purpureus'' Schmidt, 1995 = ''

'' * ''Tapinauchenius violaceus'' (Mello-Leitão, 1930) = ''

Nomen dubium In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...

* ''Tapinauchenius caerulescens'' Simon, 1891 -

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

* ''Tapinauchenius subcaeruleus'' Bauer & Antonelli, 1997 -

* ''Tapinauchenius texensis'' Simon, 1891 -

Transferred to other genera

* ''Tapinauchenius elenae'' Schmidt, 1994 → ''

Amazonius elenae Apollo Amazonius ( Gr. ) was a cultic epithet of the Greek god Apollo, under which he was worshiped, and had a temple at Pyrrhichus in Laconia. The name was derived either from the belief that the mythological Amazons had penetrated into the Pelo ...

'' * ''Tapinauchenius grossus'' (Ausserer, 1871) → ''

Grammostola grossa ''Grammostola grossa'', the Guarani giant tarantula, is a tarantula that, like all species of the genus ''Grammostola'', is native to South America. It occurs in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. The species was described in 1871 by the Au ...

References

Theraphosidae genera Spiders of South America Taxa named by Anton Ausserer Theraphosidae {{Theraphosidae-stub