''Xenesthis immanis'', the Colombian lesser black tarantula,''Common Names of Arachnids'', American Arachnological Society (2003) is a terrestrial bird spider (

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 ...

) found in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

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 ...

, and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. It is a relatively large spider with a body length reaching 6–7 cm and a length width reaching 19–22 cm. It frequently displays a commensal or mutualistic relationship with the microhylid frog '' Chiasmocleis ventrimaculata''. The relationship described is one where the spider may protect the frog and its eggs from predators while the frog protects the spider's eggs from ants. It has also been observed closely associating with ''

Hamptophryne boliviana ''Hamptophryne boliviana'', also known as the Bolivian bleating frog or Amazon sheep frog, is a species of frogs in the family Microhylidae. It is found in the northern and western sides of the Amazon basin in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, ...

'', another microhylid.

References

Theraphosidae Spiders of South America Arthropods of Colombia Fauna of Peru Fauna of Venezuela Spiders described in 1875 Taxa named by Anton Ausserer {{Theraphosidae-stub