''Pterinochilus cryptus'' is a

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 ...

in the ''

Pterinochilus ''Pterinochilus'' is a genus of Harpactirinae, baboon spiders that was first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1897. They are found all throughout Africa. Species it contains ten species, all found in Africa: *''Pterinochilus alluaudi'' Lu ...

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 ...

. It was first described by Richard C. Gallon in 2008. It is found in Lucira,

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

in Namibe province, and is named after the Greek word for hidden, since they were originally misidentified as atypical specimens of '' P. murinus''. They were misidentified as it was thought they had palpal regrowth.

Characteristics

The

palpal bulb The two palpal bulbs – also known as palpal organs and genital bulbs – are the copulatory organs of a male spider. They are borne on the last segment of the pedipalps (the front "limbs" of a spider), giving the spider an appearance often descr ...

is gently curved embolus, the absence of an inflected embolic tip and, the absence of a row of stiffened hairs in the scopula are the primary identification factors of this tarantula.

Chelicerae The chelicerae () are the arthropod mouthparts, mouthparts of the subphylum Chelicerata, an arthropod group that includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. Commonly referred to as "jaws", chelicerae may be shaped as either articulated ...

, legs, and abdomen are a yellowish brown color, 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 ...

with badly distinguishable yellowish brown radial striae. Their

ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...

is mainly unknown, though it was observed that males are mature in September.

Habitat

It is found roughly in the Namibian savanna woodlands and the Kaokoveld desert. These regions are known for their

arid Aridity is the condition of geographical regions which make up approximately 43% of total global available land area, characterized by low annual precipitation, increased temperatures, and limited water availability.Perez-Aguilar, L. Y., Plata ...

and

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a aridity, dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below Evapotranspiration#Potential evapotranspiration, potential evapotranspiration, but not as l ...

climates, where it mainly rains in the summer. Average annual rainfall varies from 60 to 200 mm, with average temperatures being 24 °C.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2456903 Spiders described in 2008 Theraphosidae Spiders of Africa