Phormingochilus

Phormingochilus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Mygalomorphae
Family:	Theraphosidae
Genus:	Phormingochilus Pocock, 1895 [1]
Type species
P. everetti Pocock, 1895
Species
5, see text

Phormingochilus is a genus of Bornean tarantulas that was first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1895. ^[2] They are occasionally kept as exotic pets, and are known for moving in bursts of speed and being defensive when cornered. ^[3]

Diagnosis

They can be distinguished by the round apex of the male palpal bulb, they can also be distinguished by the size of leg 1 and 4 in females. Further more, they can only be found in Borneo and Sulawesi. ^{[4] [5]}

Species

As of December 2024 ^[update] contains five species, found on Borneo and Sulawesi: ^[1]

• Phormingochilus arboricola (Schmidt & Barensteiner, 2015) – Borneo
• Phormingochilus everetti Pocock, 1895 (type) – Borneo
• Phormingochilus hatihati (Müller, Fardiansah, et al, 2024) - Sulawesi ^[5]
• Phormingochilus pennellhewlettorum Smith & Jacobi, 2015 – Malaysia (Borneo)
• Phormingochilus tigrinus Pocock, 1895 – Borneo

Formerly included:

• P. carpenteriSmith & Jacobi, 2015 → Lampropelma carpenteri
• P. fuchsiStrand, 1906 → Omothymus fuchsi
• P. kirkiSmith & Jacobi, 2015 → Lampropelma carpenteri

See also

• List of Theraphosidae species

References

1. "Gen. Phormingochilus Pocock, 1895". World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. Natural History Museum Bern. 2020. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2020-06-08.
2. Pocock, R. I. (1895). "On a new and natural grouping of some of the Oriental genera of Mygalomorphae, with descriptions of new genera and species". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 15 (6): 165–184. doi:10.1080/00222939508677863.
3. "Phormingochilus sp. Sabah Blue". Arachnoboards. 4 April 2017. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
4. Gabriel, Ray; Sherwood, Danniella (2019). "The revised taxonomic placement of some arboreal Ornithoctoninae Pocock, 1895 with description of a new species of Omothymus Thorell, 1891 (Araneae: Theraphosidae)". ResearchGate. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
5. Müller, Simon; Fardiansah, Riko; et al. (31 Dec 2024). "Description of a new genus and two new species of Ornithoctoninae from Southeast Asia (Araneae: Theraphosidae)". Integrative Systematics: Stuttgart Contributions to Natural History. 7 (2): 23–39. doi:10.18476/2024.122121 . Retrieved 25 October 2025.