''Acanthoscurria theraphosoides'' is a species of
spider
Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
from the family
Theraphosidae
Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although m ...
(tarantulas), found in Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and French Guiana.
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Description
F. O. Pickard-Cambridge collected a mature female as his reference specimen (holotype) during his trip to the Lower Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
, specifically in Pará
Pará is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian state) ...
state, Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. He called the species ''Acanthoscurria brocklehursti'', now regarded as synonymous with ''A. theraphosoides''. The specimen was deposited in the Natural History Museum, London
The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum an ...
. He describes the species from his own live observations as having "Carapace deep brown, clothed with grey-brown velvety pubescence" and "legs entirely clothed with rich chocolate-brown pubescence and long scattered rufous hairs."
Taxonomy
''Acanthopalpus theraphosoides'' was first described by Carl Ludwig Doleschall Carl Ludwig Doleschall ( hu, Doleschall Lajos; sk, Karol Ľudovít Doležal; born 15 July 1827 – died 26 February 1859) was born in Vág-Újhely, Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire (now Nové Mesto nad Váhom, Slovakia), as the son of the theolo ...
in 1871.[ Separately, ''Acanthoscurria brocklehursti'' was described by F. O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1896.][ Following a revision by Paula ''et al.'', ''A. brocklehursti'' is now treated as a junior synonym of ''A. theraphosoides''.][
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Confused species
In the exotic pet hobby, there is another larger species often mistakenly traded under this name ''Acanthoscurria brocklehursti'' with alternating light and dark banding on the legs. It is sometimes called the ''giant black and white tarantula'' because it can reach a leg span of 18–23 cm (7–9 in). Scientifically, this is a thinner banded regional variant of ''Acanthoscurria geniculata
''Acanthoscurria'' is a genus of tarantulas that was first described by Anton Ausserer in 1871.They are found throughout South America including the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surin ...
'', also from the Amazon basin.
See also
*List of Theraphosidae species
This page lists all described genera and species of the spider family Theraphosidae. , the World Spider Catalog accepts 1041 species in 156 genera:
A ''Acanthopelma''
'' Acanthopelma'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897
* '' Acanthopelma beccarii'' ...
References
Theraphosidae
Spiders of South America
Spiders described in 1871
Taxa named by Carl Ludwig Doleschall
{{Theraphosidae-stub