Martinique pinktoe tarantula | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
Family: | Theraphosidae |
Genus: | Caribena |
Species: | C. versicolor |
Binomial name | |
Caribena versicolor (Walckenaer, 1837) [2] | |
Synonyms [2] [3] | |
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The Antilles pinktoe tarantula (Caribena versicolor), also known as the Martinique red tree spider or the Martinique pinktoe is popular as a spider pet because of its docile character and unique coloration.
Previously placed in the genus Avicularia , C. versicolor is native to Martinique in the Caribbean Sea. [3]
Antilles pinktoe tarantulas are arboreal (tree-dwelling). They spin elaborate funnel webs in which they spend most of their time.
Spiderlings of C. versicolor are bright blue, with a black tree trunk pattern on the abdomen. As they grow, they gradually lose their blue coloration; the carapace turns green, the abdomen red, and the legs turn green with pink tarsi and a covering of purple hairs. Males usually are slightly more brightly colored than females. As in most tarantula species, males do not grow as large as females, and their abdomens are smaller than those of females, even in proportion to their size.
Mygale versicolor was first described by Charles Athanase Walckenaer in 1837. [2] In the description, Walckenaer used a female he said was from Guadeloupe and a male from Brazil. However, the two actually belong to different species. This causes nomenclatural problems, since when later workers synonymized Mygale versicolor or transferred it to another genus, they may have ultimately based their decisions on either the female or the male. Caroline Fukushima and Bertani in 2017 treated Mygale versicolor as the female specimen (actually believed to be from Martinique), designating a neotype. On this basis, it is synonymous with Avicularia rutilans. It was transferred to the genus Avicularia by Eugène Simon in 1892 and to the new genus Caribena in 2017. [3]
The Antilles pinktoe tarantula is native to parts of the Lesser Antilles islands. It can be found on the island of Martinique. [2]
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", and bristles that urticate are characteristic of this type of plant, and many other plants in several families. This term also refers to certain types of barbed bristles that cover the dorsal and posterior surface of a tarantula's or caterpillar's abdomen. Many tarantula species eject bristles from their abdomens, directing them toward potential attackers. These bristles can embed themselves in the other animal's skin or eyes, causing physical irritation, usually to great discomfort. The term urticating hairs is a misnomer, as technically only mammals possess true hairs.
Avicularia is a genus of the family Theraphosidae containing various species of arboreal tarantulas. The genus is native to Panama, the Caribbean and tropical South America. Each species in the genus has very distinguishable pink foot pads.
Avicularia avicularia, sometimes called the pinktoe tarantula, is a species of tarantula native from Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Trinidad and Tobago to Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. This species is sometimes called the Guyana pinktoe, or South American pinktoe.
Euathlus affinis is a species of spider belonging to the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas). It is native to Chile.
Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. As of August 2022, 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although many other members of the same infraorder (Mygalomorphae) are commonly referred to as "tarantulas" or "false tarantulas". Some of the more common species have become popular in the exotic pet trade. Many New World species kept as pets have setae known as urticating hairs that can cause irritation to the skin, and in extreme cases, cause damage to the eyes.
Grammostola anthracina is a species of spider belonging to the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas). It is found in Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina.
The skeleton tarantula, Ephebopus murinus, is a species of spider belonging to the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas), sub-family Aviculariinae. A New World species, it is native to several South American countries. Its common name is derived from the skeleton-like markings on its legs.
Tapinauchenius is a genus of tarantulas that was first described by Anton Ausserer in 1871. The name is a combination of the Greek ταπεινός, meaning "low", and αὐχήν, meaning "neck". In 2022, the genus Pseudoclamoris was transferred to Tapinauchenius.
The Aviculariinae are a subfamily of spiders in the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas). They can be distinguished from other theraphosids by a number of characters. Their legs have no or few spines on the underside of the tibial and metatarsal joints of the legs. The last two leg joints have brushes of hairs (scopulae) that extend sideways, particularly on the front legs, giving them a spoon-like (spatulate) appearance. Females have two completely separated spermathecae.
Typhochlaena seladonia is a species of aviculariine tarantula, and is the type species of the genus Typhochlaena. It is unique as an arboreal spider that constructs trapdoors in the bark of trees.
Kochiana is a monotypic genus of Brazilian tarantulas containing the single species, Kochiana brunnipes or the dwarf pink leg. It was first described by C. L. Koch in 1841 under the name "Mygale brunnipes", and was transferred to its own genus in 2008. As of April 2020, it has only been found in Brazil.
Avicularia purpurea, also called purple tree tarantula, Ecuadorian purple tarantula or Ecuador purple pinktoe, is a species of spider belonging to the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas).
Antillena is a genus of spiders in the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas). As of March 2017, the genus contained a single species, Antillena rickwesti, found in the Dominican Republic.
Caribena is a genus of spiders in the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas), found in the Antilles. The two species accepted as of March 2017 were formerly placed in Avicularia. Apart from a different distribution – Avicularia species are found in mainland South and Central America – Caribena is distinguished by having longer and thinner type II urticating hairs in a conspicuous patch on the upper surface of the abdomen. Males also have a differently shaped palpal bulb.
Ybyrapora is a genus of spiders in the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas), found in Brazil. Its species were formerly placed in the genus Avicularia.
Avicularia juruensis is a species of spider in the family Theraphosidae, found in South America. Avicularia urticans was brought into synonymy in 2017. It has been given the English name Amazonian pink toe spider. Under the synonym Avicularia urticans, it is also known as the Peruvian pinktoe tarantula. It is a large mygalomorph spider, with a maximum body length over 30 mm (1.2 in) and the longest fully extended leg about 60 mm (2.4 in). Like other species in the genus Avicularia, specimens under this name are sold as pets, although their identity has not been confirmed by taxonomic studies.
Avicularia variegata is a species of spider in the family Theraphosidae found in Venezuela and Brazil. Previously described as Avicularia avicularia variegata, it is synonymous with Avicularia bicegoi.
Avicularia rufa is a species of spider in the family Theraphosidae. Specimens from the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Rondônia have regularly been misidentified as Avicularia juruensis. One difference is the vivid yellow rings on the legs of A. rufa compared to the paler rings of A. juruensis.
Avicularia minatrix also known as the Red Slate Pink Toe, Redstripe Pinktoe or Venezuelan Redstripe Tarantula is a species of spider in the family Theraphosidae, found in Venezuela and Brazil. It was first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1903, being arboreal in nature and quite reclusive, and also the smallest tarantula of the Avicularia genus.
Caribena laeta otherwise known as the Puerto Rican Pink Toe Tarantula is a species of spider in the family Theraphosidae, found in the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, the last dubiously according to Caroline Fukushima and Rogério Bertani in 2017. It was first described by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1842 under the name Mygale laeta.