''Tapinauchenius'' 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 ...

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

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 natural history, naturalist specialising in spiders.Bonnet, Pierre: Bibliographi ...

in 1871. The name is a combination of the

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

, 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, Guatemal ...

'', 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 genu ...

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 coxa, and from ''

Ephebopus ''Ephebopus'' is a genus of northeastern South American tarantulas that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1892. Its relation to other tarantulas is one of the most uncertain in the family, and it has been frequently moved around and ha ...

'' by the lack of

s on palpal 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 Carl Ludwig Koch (21 September 1778 – 23 August 1857) was a German entomologist and arachnologist. He was responsible for classifying a great number of spiders, including the Brazilian whiteknee tarantula and common house spider. He was born ...

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 considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

and the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

: * ''

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 ''Tapinauchenius ...

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

, 1995 –

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

* ''

Tapinauchenius cupreus ''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 ...

'' Schmidt & Bauer, 1996 –

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

* ''

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 ''Tapinauchenius ...

'' 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 ''Tapinauchenius ...

'' L. Koch, 1875 –

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

* ''

'' (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. * ...

) – Guyana,

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

, Brazil * ''

Tapinauchenius polybotes ''Tapinauchenius'' is a genus of Theraphosidae, tarantulas that was first described by Anton Ausserer in 1871. The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek, Greek , meaning "low", and , meaning "neck". In 2022, the genus ''Pseudoclamoris'' was t ...

'' Hüsser, 2018 –

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, forming part of the West Indies in Caribbean, Caribbean region of the Americas. They are distinguished from the larger islands of the Greater Antilles to the west. They form an arc w ...

(St. Lucia) * ''

Tapinauchenius rasti ''Tapinauchenius rasti'' is one of the nine recognized species within the genus ''Tapinauchenius''.World Spider Catalog Version 25.5Tapinauchenius/ref> It was formally described in 2018 from specimens, both male and female, collected on Union Is ...

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

Walckenaer Baron Charles Athanase Walckenaer (25 December 1771 – 28 April 1852) was a French civil servant, writer, man of letters, and scientist. He was a polymath and wrote extensively on geography, natural history, and literature. Major contributio ...

, 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 ...

* ''Tapinauchenius caerulescens'' Simon, 1891 -

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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

* ''Tapinauchenius texensis'' Simon, 1891 -

Transferred to other genera

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

Description

Diagnosis

Pet ownership

Species

In synonymy

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 ...

Transferred to other genera

See also

References