Aviculariinae

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Aviculariinae
A.purpurea-f-1.jpg
Avicularia purpurea
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Theraphosidae
Subfamily: Aviculariinae
Simon, 1889 [1]
Genera

See text.

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 (ventral surface) of the tibial and metatarsal joints of the legs. The last two leg joints (the metatarsi and tarsi) 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. [1]

Contents

Taxonomy

The earliest classification of the mygalomorph spiders to include sufficient genera to be reasonably comprehensive was that of Eugène Simon in 1892. He recognized only two mygalomorph families; his Avicularidae taxon includes at least 12 modern families. [2] The earliest equivalent to the modern subfamily Aviculariinae is considered to be Simon's 1889 tribe Aviculariae, [1] which included three genera: Avicularia , Tapinauchenius and Scodra (now Stromatopelma ). [3]

The circumscription of the subfamily has varied considerably. Both the limits of the subfamily and the limits of its genera have been controversial. [4] In his 1985 monograph on the Mygalomorphae, Robert Raven included only four genera, Avicularia, Iridopelma , Pachistopelma , and Tapinauchenius. [5] Günter Schmidt in 2003 included Iridopelma in Avicularia, but added Ephebopus and Psalmopoeus to the subfamily. [6] Authors from 2008 onwards have included a wider range of genera, sometimes newly recognized ones. [7] [1]

A 2017 morphological phylogenetic study provided evidence that the subfamily is monophyletic. The authors' preferred hypothesis for the relationships within the Aviculariinae is shown below, based on the species from each genus included in the study. [1]

Aviculariinae

Genera

A 2017 monograph included the following genera, three newly erected: [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Avicularia</i> Genus of spiders

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antilles pinktoe tarantula</span> Species of spider

Previously placed in the genus Avicularia, C. versicolor is native to Martinique in the Caribbean Sea.

Euathlus affinis is a species of spider belonging to the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas). It is native to Chile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarantula</span> Family of spiders

Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. As of December 2023, 1,100 species have been identified, with 166 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skeleton tarantula</span> Species of spider

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.

<i>Pachistopelma</i> Genus of spiders

Pachistopelma is a genus of Brazilian tarantulas that was first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1901. As of May 2020 it contains two species, found in Brazil: P. bromelicola and P. rufonigrum. They have a straight front eye row and males have a spinose spur on the first tibia. Females have two spermathecae lacking lobes or constrictions that have a slight curvature in the middle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stromatopelminae</span> Subfamily of tarantulas

The Stromatopelminae are a subfamily of tarantulas native to West Africa and part of Central Africa. The subfamily was first proposed by Günter Schmidt in 1993.

<i>Typhochlaena curumim</i> Species of spider

Typhochlaena curumim is a species of tarantula, that is native to Mata do Pau-Ferro, Areia, in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. It is a member of the subfamily Aviculariinae.

<i>Typhochlaena seladonia</i> Species of spider

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.

<i>Pachistopelma bromelicola</i> Species of spider

Pachistopelma bromelicola is a species of tarantula, contained within the Aviculariinae subfamily. It is endemic to Brazil.

<i>Pachistopelma rufonigrum</i> Species of spider

Pachistopelma rufonigrum is a species of theraphosid, contained within the Aviculariinae subfamily. It is endemic to Brazil.

<i>Antillena</i> Genus of spiders

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.

<i>Caribena</i> Genus of spiders

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.

<i>Ybyrapora</i> Genus of spiders

Ybyrapora is a genus of spiders in the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas), found in Brazil. Its species were formerly placed in the genus Avicularia.

<i>Avicularia variegata</i> Species of spider

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.

<i>Avicularia lynnae</i> Species of spider

Avicularia lynnae is a species of spiders in the family Theraphosidae, found in Ecuador and Peru. It was first described in 2017. The specific name refers to Lynn West, wife of mygalomorph expert Rick C. West.

<i>Avicularia caei</i> Species of spider

Avicularia caei is a species of spiders in the family Theraphosidae found in Brazil. It was first described in 2017. The specific name honours Carlos Eduardo Gurgel Paiola, known as "Caê".

Avicularia glauca is a species of spider in the family Theraphosidae, found in Panama. The species was first described by Eugène Simon in 1891. As of March 2017, only a single female preserved specimen is known. It appears to be closely related to Avicularia purpurea. Avicularia species are rare in southern Central America; further studies are in progress.

<i>Caribena laeta</i> Species of spider

Caribena laeta 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.

Rick C. West is a Canadian arachnologist and an expert on the taxonomy of tarantula spiders. West was born in Victoria, British Columbia. He has been interested in spiders since childhood, and collected his first tarantula, Aphonopelma eutylenum, at the age of 13. He worked primarily as a Chief Constable for a local Animal Humane Society, but also have been involved with the collecting, breeding, rearing and photography of theraphosid spiders. West has traveled to over 27 countries to document and study them in their environment, has been a host, presenter and co-producer in several tarantula documentaries and has also described several genera and species.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fukushima, C.S. & Bertani, R. (2017). "Taxonomic revision and cladistic analysis of Avicularia Lamarck, 1818 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Aviculariinae) with description of three new aviculariine genera". ZooKeys (659): 1–185, Suppl. 1–5. Bibcode:2017ZooK..659....1F. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.659.10717 . PMC   5345366 . PMID   28331414.
  2. Raven, R.J. (1985). "The spider infraorder Mygalomorphae (Araneae): Cladistics and systematics". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 182: 1–180. hdl:2246/955. p. 5.
  3. Simon, E. (1889). "Voyage de M. E. Simon au Venezuela (décembre 1887-avril 1888) : 4e Mémoire : Arachnides". Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (in French and Latin). 6 (9): 169–220. Retrieved 2017-03-16. p. 213.
  4. West et al. (2008), p. 35.
  5. Raven (1985), p. 119.
  6. Schmidt, G. (2003). "8.5 Aviculariinae Simon, 1874". Die Vogelspinnen: Eine weltweite Übersicht. Neue Brehm-Bücherei. Hohenwarsleben: Westarp Wissenschaften. pp. 197–198. ISBN   978-3-89432-899-3.
  7. West, Rick C.; Marshall, Samuel D.; Fukushima, Caroline S. & Bertani, Rogério (2008). "Review and cladistic analysis of the Neotropical tarantula genus Ephebopus Simon 1892 (Araneae: Theraphosidae) with notes on the Aviculariinae". Zootaxa. 1849: 35–58. doi:10.5281/zenodo.183360.

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